in time There is nothing that is but it hath been Grace coming forth is nothing but the Childrens coming out of their minority from under tutors and governors The Saints coming from under the Law and out of the flesh There is a time appointed of the Father for this this is the time of grace grace hath appeared and we receive the adoption of sons God tels us we are his begotten his inheritance and he is ours Grace comes forth and appears by degrees and there was never but some appearances of grace But a low appearance of grace is counted as no appearance in respect of a higher That appearance before Christ in the flesh is counted no appearance in respect of that which came forth with Christ in flesh That appearance with Christ in flesh is not appearance in respect of that which comes forth with Christ in the Spirit When he shall appear the second time without sin unto salvation to them that wait for him He appears now to salvation but now he appears in sin and weakness and this is not appearing in respect of that which shall be the glory is no glory in respect of that which is coming that is at the dore God brings forth himself out of the dark he hath put himself into the dark and he comes up by degrees he lyeth under vails and coverings and hides his face There is everlasting mercies but they are hidden Your life is hid with Christ in God and God reveals this by degrees There is grace not appearing and salvation not appearing where it is And there is wrath and destruction not appearing also where it is they will both come forth And till these do come forth it is very irrational for any to judge that that which now doth not appear is not there and will never appear It is the comfort of them that wait for grace and cannot see it I know thy poverty saith Christ to one of the Churches in the Revelations but thou art rich Rev. 2. 9. There is nothing to be done for our salvation and glory but the bringing it forth the making it to appear We have a life but 't is hid and vail'd and so we are said to be dead as 't is in Col. 3. 1. Ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God When Christ who is our life shall appear then shall we appear with him in glory Grace hath appeared teaching us 'T is a blessed thing to know the teaching of grace There is the Laws teaching and Graces teaching there is a Letter teaching and the Spirits teaching In the first teaching we are ever learning but never able to come to the Knowledge of the truth but are still led about with lusts Here is onely a profession and nothing but a form but there is the teaching of grace which is the writing the Law in our minds and putting them in our hearts Here is the Covenant of grace the Law of grace when we are delivered up into the Doctrine as the Apostle expresseth it Rom. 6. 17. the form of Doctrine into which you were delivered as 't is in the Margent We are delivered up into the Doctrine we are formed and fashioned and moulded into it There is an appearance of God in Majestie in Mount Sinai that makes servants and slaves and bondmen that saith Do or you dye Do or you are cursed And there is an appearance of God from Mount Sion in love and grace The God of grace or the grace of God hath appeared and he teacheth us his ways and he makes us sons and he brings forth his own nature in us 'T is our life our meat and drink to do his will and finish his work The everlasting Covenant in blood comes forth and makes us perfect to do his will Here is the Law of the spirit of life in Christ Iesus that frees us from the Law of sin and death 'T is a sad thing to be only under a Letter and under a Voice to have nothing but a Letter and a Hearsay Nothing but a voice and direction without here is nothing but enmity within But the word is nigh thee in thy heart when we come to this teaching this inward teaching this Law of the Spirit All other teaching without this inward teaching doth but put us into a Dream into Fancies and we think and seem that we eat and drink but when we awake we shall find our souls hungry and thirsty But this grace of God that teaches effectually delivers us up into the Doctrine moulds us into the form of that which is taught The God of grace appearing to us we are turned into his Image from glory to glory by his Spirit 2 Cor. 3. latter end Let 's all look after this teaching this inward teaching They shall be all taught of God Let us look after the teaching of Christ who spake with authority and not as the Scribes Let us look for power and life and light from God And let 's deal with man for nothing else but that we may hear God by him and see God in him and be able to say God is in you of a truth The grace of God which brings Salvation hath appeared teaching us grace and favor it is exceeding winning God doth overcome all our evil by good Love is mightily constraining She had much forgiven her she loved much Let favour be shewed to the wicked he will not learn righteousness in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly as 't is in Isa 26. 10. Thou after thy impenitent heart treasurest up wrath and dispisest the goodness of God that leads thee to repentance Bounty is leading to repentance but the God of grace and the grace of God it sets up repentance in us Let us go forth then in grace and in love And so let us be winning and working upon others Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly c. Many men will say if I deny my lusts all the lusts of the world here 's an end of my life What shall I do How shall I live Thou shalt live the life of God It brings death upon this life this Worldly life and brings us to live in hope Looking for that blessed hope It is a foolish thing to a carnal heart to think of suffering it self to betaken off from the present enjoyment of the world the satisfying his lusts to live upon hope But the hope that is in God is firm and sure and surerer then the World The World passeth away and the lusts thereof and they that have their life in these things find nothing but shame and Death but this hope never makes men ashamed Which hope we have as an anchor of the Soul both sure and stedfast and which entereth into that within the vail And here le ts take notice of this That the grace of God that brings Salvation is made out in teaching us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts Every one
top desolate and forsaken we have said of the Spirit as once that murmuring people said of Moses Up make us Gods that may go before us for as for this Moses we know not what is become of him And in this mist of darkness Satan hath conveyed himself in all deceivableness of unrighteousness and made such a deluge upon the face of the world that till of latter yeers as it was in Elias his time the true Church Saints of God were not discernable though doubtless in the darkest times God reserved a small remnant to himself who bowed not the knee to the Idols of mens inventions nor fell down before the Throne of the Beast The reign of Antichrist hath been long and so taking being beautifyed by the excellency and glory of flesh that the whole world wondered after the Beast whatever was prone and apt to deceive and bewitch the world that hath he cloathed himself withal not onely learning wisdom greatness and power humane but whatsoever the Gospel afforded outward that hath been given to him to carry captive into his own place to that great City Babylon there have Ordinances and the letter of the Scripture been brought into cruel bondage and made to fight against the Spirit and a form of godliness to war against the power what God hoth joyned hath been there divorced and put asunder and the abomination that maketh desolate set up the whole world in their Religion Worship and Righteousness have lien in darkness and are not aware of it they liked not the Faith once given to the Saints neither contended for it they received not the truth in the love of it and therefore were given up to strong delusions to believe lyes and by the signs lying wonders and cunning craftiness of this man of sin whereby he lay in wait to deceive have been led about and taken captive by him at his pleasure And think not this strange neither wonder at it Art thou a stranger in Israel Ought not these things so to have come to pass Ought not our Lord to be crucified in Sodom and Egypt before he ascend to his last and most glorious appearance in the world is it not necessary the man of sin should first be revealed before Christ can come in his brightness and that the highest glory should be born out of the womb of the deepest darkness this was the Let kept Christ at a distance seeing by this he was making way for a more glorious and admirable discovery of himself and the Gospel then the world yet ever knew By this he will commend himself to us in his second appearance as the Law commends Grace and as Pharoah and the Red Sea commended that deliverance of old here is a time for Saints to keep their garments white and the name of Chrâ—st unblemished when the world is become Satans Synagogue here is a season beautiful for the Faith Patience and Testimony of the Saints to appear and for those that call themselves Apostles and are not to be tryed and found lyars By this good pleasure of God in so ordering things will be built up an everlasting Monument of the worlds folly and blindness in the greatest exercise of their wisdom and knowledge who though they had an open faced discovery of God in the Gospel 2 Cor 3. 18. and not the writings of Moses onely but of Christ himself left to them and life and immortality brought therein to light yet despising the light and instruction of the spirit herein and causing that to withdraw and trusting in their own wisdom and making flesh their teacher professing themselves wise have become fools and turned the truth of God into a lye and by that their wisdom know not God in this wisdom of God but heap to themselves brain inventions and by the Doctrines of men make void the Counsel of God to their own destruction and have turned that which gave in it self a savour of life into a savour of death unto death And now that the fulness of time for those better things kept in store for us draws nigh and that Egyptian darkness and slavery which the world hath been kept under is nigh to cursing how hath the truth multiplyed how hath God remembred his people and for some good number of yeers past been making way for himself again to be owned and breaking forth in such measures of light as the world hath been able to bear and gradually destroying the power of the beast in his mark his image and the number of his name and is still going on till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth and in these discoveries also hath Satan of late been putting in for a part resisting the truth as Jannes and Iambres withstood Moses seeking to set up that in form and flesh and so preserve his Kingdom which God is doing in spirit and power but he shall proceed no farther for his folly shall be made manifest to all and those precious souls who have in these days stood at a distance from the outward part of worship because it hath been the Court trodden down and the man of sin hath here so long had his abode and hath so polluted and stained all forms of Religion and made that his shelter and thicket where he hath lain concealed shall see him trodden under their feet and cast alive in the midst of these his deceitful workings with the false Prophet into the Lake that burns with fire and brimstone and whatever hath been captived into Babylon shall be brought back and set upon Mount-Sion the redeemed of the Lord shall return and being filled with the Spirit and restored to their first state shall shine in the perfection of beauty and holiness and then shall all Saints sing in the unity of the spirit the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb saying Great and marvellous are thy works Lord God Almighty just and true are thy ways O thou King of Saints Reader Amidst the diversity of those gifts and administrations in dispensing whereof God hath enriched this latter age there hath not a brighter spirit shone forth then what dwelt like a fixed star in the Author of these following Discourses who whilst he lived here was indeed dead by the Cross of our Lord Jesus and in that voyce being now dead he yet speaketh what thou seest here of him thou hast upon great disadvantage being imperfectly taken and never designed by the Author beyond the private edification of his Hearers these things were most pleasantly beheld in his life where they were written in a perfect Copy from whence all that he taught seemed to be borrowed and transcribed his ministration of them also gave not a little more lustre to them then what they now seem to have but at best this heavenly treasure ran through an earthen vessel so may perhaps need the laver of love to wash off what it contracted by that passage I leave it to
for a reward And whosoever take upon them to be Prophets and do complie with the World are lying Prophets as he was All true Prophets that Prophesied of Christ saw him and he was in them Abraham saw my day saith Christ and t was Christ himself that preached in the days of Noah as Peter hath it But Iohn was much above the Prophets seeing Christ at a nearer distance then they did A Prophet saith Christ Yea I say unto you and more then a Prophet Iohn made a greater noyse a greater stir and bustle in the world then the Prophets before They came forth with power but they witnessed in sackloth in comparison of Iohn The Prophets before Iohn had nothing like that respect that Iohn had There went out to him all Iudea and Jerusalem Yea the Saduces and Pharisees went out to him and yet see how he takes them up O generation of Vipers who hath forwarned you to flye from the wrath to come See how he deals with Herod With what Majesty that its said Herod feared him They were dazled at his light and scorcht with his fire He was the greatest before Christ He came in the Spirit and power of Elias There are witnesses to Christ in the flesh and there are witnesses to Christ in the Spirit There are witnesses to his first coming in the similitude of sinfull flesh and there are witnesses to his second coming without sin to Salvation And the nearer to him the clearer sight of him the more transformed into his Image the more powerfull will be the witness He that is a true Prophet or a true witness doth not only tell us of truth or of Christ but he doth appear truth and appear Christ Here is truth here is Christ here is the Spirit There is no true Prophet or witness of Christ but he seeth him come But What! is Christ come He is come and he is coming The hour is coming and now is He is and he was and he is to come He is come the Lamb slain and he is come the Lyon of the Tribe of Iudah So far forth aswe are true witnesses we see him amongst us we can poynt him out This is He. We see him in Faith Christ dwells in our hearts by faith We see him in hope Christ in you the hope of glory We see him the wisdom of God and the power of God We see him such a one as cares not for man Master we know that thou art true and carest not for any mans person We see him one that takes away sin It is he that is our righteousness and holiness It is he that is the true light It is his day coming that shall darken the Sun and the Moon It is he that makes the whole Creation to shake It is he that commands Devils and Hell Principalities and Powers In that degree we see him and have communion with him in that degree we witness to him He is coming and he is come without sin to Salvation He is amongst us and in the midst of us and if you see him not if you know him not it is because you are in darkness He is come and Iohn is come that bears witness of him Who is Iohn that bears witness to him He that calleth you from man to that one Master He that is decreasing before him and rejoyceth in it He that is dying into him and seeking to rise in him that is sending all Disciples to him and confessing him and professing that all were Thieves and Robbers that went before him that had drawn Disciples after them That Ministry that is calling us off from man from the glow-worm light of this Creation from mans parts and gifts into the Spirit that 's the Ministry we should look after This same Iohn came out of the wilderness He came not in a fleshly garbe He came not in that which commends him to man He feared not man nor his terror He cared neither for Herods glory nor the Pharisees applause He was leading men above the excellency of this creation and bidding them look beyond it He comes not into the Ministry upon the old account by the way of Succession or Election by mans laying on of hands or call of Churches but by the Spirit He comes of the Priesthood but not in the ordayning way When his parents were old when their bodies were dead when his Father was dumb when mans Ministry had been tryed then he comes forth not in the wisdom of man but in the power of the Spirit He comes out of the wilderness in Spirit So Christ is among us in the Spirit These are the mighty witnesses and this is that which makes them mighty Seeing of Christ This is the Ministry we should look after Look after such witnesses and look to be such witnesses to be seers indeed and not in a bare notion as Balaam was to see him in us and our selves in union with him to hold him forth to hold forth the truth to hold forth righteousness and to be able to say Here it is The Ministry of those that profess themselves the Ministers of Christ and yet do not see Christ the world takes hold on it and runs into it and so it comes to nothing The Ministry of those that see Christ by the power of Christ doth stop the mouths of Mockers and Scoffers that say Where is the promise of his coming Why he is come and he is coming That is the true Ministry that sees him and this is that which will grow exceedingly terrible to the world This is such a Ministry as the world is not able to stand before As Christ comes nearer so the Ministry of the Spirit will be more burning and shining more dazling and tormenting to the world and if any oppose it O what burning and tormenting then Burning and shining is the demonstration of the Spirit and Power The Divine nature in us is that fire from the Altar that never goeth out That fire that shall change our vile bodies and make them like his glorious body that fire that shal put out and darken the glory of the world And that is the reason of the Ecclipse of the Sun which Naturalists cannot find out the greater light coming the Lord himself the Sun of righteousness appearing the light of gifts of parts and of natural reason presently disappears and vanisheth They are but as the light of a glow-worm to the Sun There is a fire of passion kindled by the fire of Hell The fire that Sampsons Foxes carried away in their tayls as it s said Wickedness burns like a fire The fire of the Spirit putts out this fire A burning and a shining light The manifestation of God in his servants is fire and light its burning and shining and the nearer God approaches the hotter the fire the more shining the light Burning and shining In burning there is great suffering there 's torment there 's slaying and offering up there 's assimilating In shining
of rottenness in professors and as this day appears more so there will be greater discoveries You have such and such marks and signs but they are things that need a testimony to them the Apostle John speaks of that testimony The love of the brethren but it comes at length to this We know that we dwell in him and he in us by the spirit that he hath given us Ye were willing for a season to rejoyce c. Willing and rejoycing how like is this to the spirit as if the day of Gods power had been amongst them to make them willing but when that day comes it will bring us to eternity how many be there that have been willing and rejoycing in Christ but now their season is gone Consider whether we are for a season onely or whether we are for ever Whether we are not onely for the light but for the fire Christ is yesterday today and the same for ever It is a pittiful thing to be onely for a season better not to be at all and never to have known the way of righteousness then to be but blazing Stars and Comets and at last fall to the earth with what confusion of face shall they be thrown down that shall stand up at the last day and say Lord have we not preached and prophesyed and cast out devils in thy name when he shall answer them Depart from me I know you not he that is right in Religion indeed is growing and increasing he is as a Tree planted by the Rivers side that brings forth fruit and whose fruit remains If Christ be in us he grows up in us and we grow up in him being rooted and grounded in love we grow up into his fulness till we be filled with all the fulness of God Ye were willing for a season ye were professors for a season Christians for a season the people of God for a season and some for one season and some for another season now lifted up to Heaven and by and by thrown down to Hell this is a miserable case better never to have known the way of righteousness better to have continued in our natural estate without making profession at all then to shine for a season and afterwards be cast into outward darkness where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth The Invalidity of Church-censures where Christ is not judge SERMON I. 1 COR. 5. 1 2 3 4 5. It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles that one should have his fathers wife And ye are puffed up and have not rather mourned that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you For I verily as absent in body but present in spirit have judged already as though I were present concerning him that hath so done this deed In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ when ye are gathered together and my Spirit with the power of our Lord Iesus Christ To deliver such a one unto Sathan for the destruction of the flesh that the Spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Iesus HEre is a foul sinner among Saints And he that is a sinner is also a Saint Here is the whole company of Saints leavened they are sinners by partnership All in carnal security all of them in high conceits of their good estate Ye are puft up saith he in the second verse 2. Here is that which Saints should do in such a case When the corruption within doth break forth in such a manner what should they do should they talk it about It is reported commonly should they trumpet it out Or what should they do should they rail should they scorn should they throw stones Nay but the Apostle tells us here they should mourn Ye are puft up and have not rather mourned that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you And thirdly the Apostle is shewing them that by right mourning there will be power obtained to get free from this evil To save our selves and to save sinners by destroying of sin The Apostle he was a mourner as it is plentifully expressed in 2 Cor. 7. And had obtained power of God to come forth against this corruption and sin that was broken forth even to cast it out This he expresses in the third vers For I verily as absent in body but present in Spirit have judged already as though I were present concerning him that hath done this deed He had gotten a power of judging It was a power I have judged already Object And if that Objection should be made He was absent and not present Absent in body saith he but present in Spirit I have judged already Sol. The Apostle by the Spirit foreseeing that the Church the Saints here should partake with him of the same power to judge this sinner by humbling themselves before the Lord he summons them unto mourning then calls them unto judging and shews them the assistance they should have He shews them his assistance and shews them the common assistance of him and them They should have his Spirit ver 4. and he and they should have the power and assistance of the Lord Iesus In the name of our Lord Iesus Christ when ye are gathered together and my Spirit c. You see the General scope Let us now consider the particulars in the Text. It is commonly reported that there is fornication amongst them c. Sin among the Saints Fornication Fleshly uncleanness this may seem strange to find this in a Church to see this break out in a Saint 'T is true a Saint he was but this was no piece of his Saintship You may think it strange but it is only strange to them that have not seen the whore that is in their own hearts Filthy base uncleanness among Saints what a sight was this Such as is not once named among the Gentiles saith the Apostle not named in any way of honor not named in any way of good report This to be brought forth in the sight of the Sun A tent spread in the face of the Sun Acts not fit to be named Such as he is ashamed to speak of Many things might be observed from this first verse As that first of al touching common fame It is reported commonly Doct. Those Saints that are wise will have as little to do in common fame as may be And what they receive by common fame let them bring home to the parties concerned as the Apostle doth here It is commonly reported saith he The Apostle doth not trade in this business What he meets withall he brings home to the persons concerned We have experience enough in these days what common fame is what report is I shall not speak of that Touching the sins of Saints that also might be spoken to Doct. 2. That there is the same corruption the same corrupt nature in a Saint as in others It
is true As we are Saints we partake of the Divine nature but there is the corrupt nature also There is the flesh as well as the Spirit If the Spirit be asleep if God give Sathan Power and say to him as he did once Go and be a lying Spirit in the mouth of Ahabs Prophets Go and be an unclean Spirit in such a ones heart What mischief may he not do If God withdraw and let Sathan out against David What a condition is David in what befalls the poor Corinthian here he was a Saint indeed but a Saint besmeared with sin God hath many glorious designs in such a desertion in such a temptation Reas For by this he doth make Gins and Nets and Snares and stumbling blocks unto the world wherein being catched and broken they fall and never rise again Doct. 3. Further we might see here from that first verse how there is a civil righteousness among the Gentiles Even Gentiles and Heathens they do keep themselves free from gross carnal actings they are free from gross defilements all the filthiness lieth within There it lieth hid till temptation draw it forth Doct. 4. And this also is to be taken notice of that abstaining from outward gross filthy actings will make us no better then the Gentiles If our righteousness be only an abstaining from outward gross acts it will be no better a righteousness then the righteousness of the Gentiles and of the Heathen There is all filthiness within but it is restrained and comes not forth Oh How doth it concern us that we be not found worse then the Gentiles When that which is within breaks forth in all filthy and beastly and abominable practice this is to be worse then the Gentiles We are no better then the Gentiles if we outwardly abstain We are worse then the Gentiles if we let these corruptions break forth Such Fornication as is not once named among the Gentiles Doct. 5. And here we see how it lieth upon Saints to possess their vessels in sanctification and in honor It lieth upon them and there is a Law for them as well as for the World The difference is that the world hath a Law upon them from without an imposition A Saint if he be a Saint indeed hath the same Law within the Law without only restrains the Law of the Spirit of life within it crucifies it mortifies it kills the very root of sin Object To those that say they are not fleshly in fleshly lusts Answ We have this to say in way of answer 1. Some say so and discover the contrary and some have said so and have had a discovery of the contrary in their own hearts 2. Again we say that we have no experience of any such thing 3. We say that there is a Spirit that discovers and judges and therefore let them that say so look to it When this same Spirit shall come forth in us we shall be able to judge till then we are silent I conceive there be two sorts of Ranters in the world one that comes forth in all fleshly beastliness another that comes forth in scorn and disdain insulting and lifting up themselves upon that occasion Let us wait upon God to be delivered from both these That for the first verse What is to be done when boyles and blaines do break out when such corruption and filth is discovered Le ts consider that What shall we do Shall we reproach Shall we throw stones Shall we insult Shall we despise Shall we judge He that hath the Spirit let him judge As concerning the outward acts let the Magistrate do his duty but he that judgeth let him see that the beam be first pulled out of his own eye let him see that the whore be judged in his own heart and burnt there He that is without sin saith Christ let him throw the first stone What then is to be done the second verse of the Chapter shews us and shews what these Corinthians evilly did They were puft up saith he and have not rather mourned that he that had done this deed might be taken away from among you Mourning is the effect which such discoveries should bring forth in Saints hearts The sin of this person was a sadding thing a sad spectacle Mourning and confessing the root of that evil in their own Spirits all that baseness and abominable filth in their own hearts should have been the fruit of this persons fall I know that in me saith Paul that is in my flesh dwells nothing that is good This is that that is to be done mourning and making out for the Power of the Lord Jesus that this evil may be judged and that there may be no more of this abomination committed amongst them But you are puft up and have not ratherer mourned You are puft up After we have looked upon this same filthiness that is broken out in one Saint come and let us see sin in the power of it and seising upon the whole congregation or Church There is the Devil among you and you are proud high puft up High conceits you have of your own excellency of your good estate We see how Saints may fall asleep in carnal security be lifted up in pride blown up with vain puffs and swell'd with wind with conceits of goodness and excellency of that which is not made drunk and intoxicated with high high thoughts of their excellent condition when as death and hell are among them in great power Here is the filthiness of hell among these Saints and yet they are puft up what a glorious congregation are they in what an excellent state are they Ye are puft up The Apostles is expressing the workings of their hearts in the Chapter before this 1 Cor. 4. 8. Now ye are Full now ye are Rich Ye have raigned as Kings without us Ye are wise ye are strong ye are honorable as 't is in ver 10. These were the conceits they had of themselves You are puft up Carnal security pride among Saints a whole Church a whole congregation covered over with it drunken with it not one of them awake Not a wise man among them as saith the Apostle in another case What is there not a wise man among you Not one that hath his wits about him all dead and senseless of Sathans stratagems that had brought forth such lewdness and wickedness in the midst of them Thus you see Carnal security and pride among Saints There is a spiritual security security in God and there is a brave highth of mind boasting of God when t is in truth But this same pride is when there is conceit of that that is not My soul saith David shall make her boast of God and the humble shall hear thereof and be glad The new mans security and the new mans glory O that 's excellent that 's sweet But here was fleshly security flesh exalting it self in conceits of the Spirit The Devil transforming himself into an Angel of
light and in this state and condition what wonder is it if the Devil work at his pleasure In such Mists and Foggs as these the Devil brings into our hearts and Congregations all manner of filth and baseness that can be exprest or thought of Fornication not once named among the Gentiles brought into a Christian congregation Vse This calls upon us not to trust to our own hearts He that doth so is a fool saith Solomon And if we walk in Churches and Congregations le ts not rest there as many do who look upon themselves and think now they are safe now they are secure they are in a Church they have many eyes to watch over them they have Shepherds and Overseers We may be all Overseers and all overseen al asleep The wise virgins slept Take heed of carnal security When we see no sin and feel no evil 't is carnal security 't is the Devils peace When we see no sin and are not either complaining of sin opposing sin fighting with sin or else chasing it driving it before us 't is carnal security 't is the Devils Cradle 't is the Devils Bed Be not high-minded saith the Apostle Let him that standeth take heed lest he fall There be many say we are Kings and we raign O how excellent is our estate This is the voice that is heard in many Churches in many Congregations when Paul stands by that hath the Spirit of God and saith I would to God it were so I would to God you did raign indeed then we should raign with you There is a worldly and fleshly walking in Church-fellowship The Devil gets into that form as he hath got into all others We will be wise to the world and yet we will be in a Church as the Apostle hath it in ver 10. of the foregoing Chapter You are wise in Christ strong in Christ you are honorable This is that that is too too much seen in Churches and Congregations But we saith the Apostle are fools for Christs sake we are weak we are despised and are content to be so 'T is Christs cross that we bear and we can rejoyce in nothing but in this that we are fools that we are weak that we are despised But we shall appear honorable When Christ shall appear we shall appear with him in glory Saints may fall asleep fall into carnal security be puft up with pride and so be under a great power of the Devil a great Snare It may be any Saints case it was a whole Churches case here and a Church that was gathered by the Apostle Is there not need that we should watch Watch and pray that you fall not into temptation Is there not need that we should watch one over another Therefore it is that Churches and Congregations are gathered that there may be watching that some may be awake while others sleep But see here what watchmen are if the Lord do not keep the City The Congregation of Saints are the City of God Here are men watchmen and all the City asleep all intoxicated all drunken and lying in carnal security the Devil and sin and death are walking among them and they are not sensible of it 'T is a sad thing to think of that there may be and are Churches that are gathered together that they may laze and drowse together that they may nourish one another in carnal security strengthen one another in the world and in the flesh that thinks t is enough there is a form of Godliness that we are in Church-fellowship and so lie down together and sleep and t is a sad thing I have no quarrel with Churches or any form but such as have not the Spirit in them Here all are asleep asleep in death You are puft up when you should mourn and here is Paul he mournes so that he wakens them all he obtaines the Spirit of God comes forth to them in the Spirit wakens them and raiseth them up in the Spirit to take vengeance upon Sathan upon this sin upon the flesh in this incestuous person Deliver him to Satan for the destruction of the flesh Ye are puft up and have not rather mourned Mark here how the Apostle charges the whole Church and judges them and they being judged he brings them to judge this incestuous person And indeed there is no man fit to judge till he hath been under judgement himself Ye are puft up First he arraigns them in the Spirit judges them brings them all to mourning and then he takes them up with him into the Judgement Seat and so they deal with this incestuous person they deliver him from Sathan by delivering him unto Sathan They deliver him to Sathan for the destruction of the flesh Another thing worthy our thoughts is this That there may be a partnership in sin We may be defiled by other mens sins by partnership by a partaking Partake not of other mens sins saith the Apostle to Timothy There is a partaking of other mens sins while we see them and are senseless of them We partake in them by any complyance or suting with them You are puft up saith he and have not rather mourned q. d. There is such a person among you thus defiled and you are not ashamed Here is the Corinthians sin and whole Churches sin as 't is laid to the charge of the Princes of Judah Jer. 36. 24. that when the King did cut the Roul that Baruch had written from the mouth of Jeremie which was the Prophet of the Lord the Princes they looked on and none of them rent their garments None of them were sensible of that contempt and rebellion against God The Apostle to the Ephesians chap. 5. calls upon us not to have fellowship with the unfruitfull works of darkness but rather reprove them Mat. 18. 15. This is that which our Savour expresses when he speaks of a brother offending Quest If thy brother offend thee saith he what 's the meaning of a brothers offending What is it If he hath done thee any hurt or wronged thee Answ Nay but this same offence by a brother is a brothers sin And this doth appear plainly by that that Christ commands If thou hast told thy brother and reproved him and so hast wrought upon thy brothers conscience that he is convinced thou hast gained thy brother So that the sin of a brother is an offence and a wounding unto all the brethren if they be awakned if they live at that time if they be not asleep as these Corinthians were If they be not in carnal security and intoxicated with pride they shall feel a wound in his wound they shall find a loss in his loss therefore he saith if he shall hear thee thou hast gained thy brother He doth not speak of any outward wrong for which men go to Law to recover them Right but when there is a sense of the wound and suffering of him that sins in thee there is a sword that pierces thy soul
while it enters into his and so when thou shalt in the Spirit of God go forth to recover him and shalt be successfull thou hast gained thy brother and hast taken off the offense from thy self This same offence by anothers sin this same sense of anothers wounding himself and hurting himself is that the Law of love calls for We are all one body all the Saints live one life and so while one is wounded all are wounded if life be not buried in us If we do live indeed we shall find our life hurt in anothers hurting himself It is the life of God that is in the Saints and when one suffers all suffer There is a partnership in others sins by not taking notice of them by a senselessness You are puft up saith the Apostle and have not rather mourned And this is that that concerns us to mind We are for the most part narrowing sin making it as strait and as little as we can to reach as little way as may be this is a way flesh hath to wash it self to clear it self instead of fetching the blood of Christ to destroy it But here we see our own sin may lie upon us and another mans sin also We may partake of sin while that a brother sins and we are senseless while we are puft up and do not mourn while we are senseless of a sin committed by a brother it is a sin upon us You see then whas it is to have our hearts lifted up in pride and insulting when we see a brother sin There is many a ones Religion is nothing else but insulting upon others faults God I thank thee I am not like other men nor as this Publican Many a man is a brave man when he sees another man base and vile We should carry our selves in the flesh as one with all flesh We should carry our selves in the Spirit as one in the Spirit with all the Saints Who is weak saith the Apostle and I am not weak who is offended and I burn not Look upon Jesus Christ let him be our pattern He bare our infirmities and took our sickness Therefore look if you can find Jesus Christ in you that compassionate high priest that will not go by the wounded traveller as that Priest did in the story of the Gospel Look for Christ in you Know ye not that Christ is in you Prove your selves whether ye be in the Faith Look for this love and this compassion Look for the sufferings of Christ to be made up in you We must lay down our lives also for the brethren as John hath it All this I do for the Elects sake saith the Apostle Here is Christ in the Apostle I fill up the sufferings of Christ saith he to the Collossians wherein I suffer trouble as an evil doer Wherefore I endure all things for the Elects sake Be not partakers of other mens sins There are many ways and this is one while we see sin break forth in our brethren and do not take notice of it are not affected with it do not mourn and so we neglect to gain our brother But there is a third thing that I would commend unto you at this time and that is That godly sorrow and humiliation for sin is that by which spiritual persons waiting upon God do receive power from God to discharge their own hearts and their Congregations ftom sin and Sathan You are puft up and have not rather mourned that he that hath done this deed might be cast out from among you 'T is mourning that doth it It is not stoutness or resolution any thing of man that doth it But it is the power of God which comes into humble souls Godly mourning and humiliation is that that doth bring forth power to reform our own hearts and our congregations The proof of this was abundantly seen among the Corinthians as you shall see in the 2. and 7. chap. of the second Epistle where we shall read of the Apostles mourning upon this occasion how by him and his Ministry of the Spirit all the whole Church was brought into mourning and how by this their mournning the Spirit of God came forth in them in power and light and so they did rid themselves of this evil that was among them This incestuous person was delivered unto Sathan and there he left the flesh behind him he left sin behind him He left the Devil with the Devil He was delivered unto Sathan and so Sathan was destroyed in him Sathan was sent to Sathan the Devil was sent to Hell and the Spirit came forth and the Saint was saved in the day of the Lord Jesus The light and power of God was among them and came up among them which enabled them to renounce themselves their own strength whereby to deliver themselves from that evil And so God he owned them And the Apostle writes to them in the second chap. of the second Epistle that they would comfort that person they had delivered unto Sathan You ought now to comfort him you ought to restore him For by this spiritual humiliation and mourning they had power from God both to deliver up the sinner and restore the Saint You ought to comfort him least he be swallowed up of to much sorrow This same godly sorrow is the travail-sorrow Christ speaks of Ioh. 16. 20. You shall have sorrow but your sorrow shall be turned into joy A woman when her hour comes is in sorrow but then she forgets all because a man child is born Thus the man child is born the Spirit comes forth and Christ comes forth in us by Godly sorrow by humiliation in the Spirit We see the proof of this here And this same sorrow this spiritual humiliation is nothing else but the reviving of the holy seed in a Saint 'T is nothing else but the new mans quickning nothing else but Christ quickning in us who being quickned and seeing himself to be cloathed and compassed with such filth he cannot bear it he cannot endure it He mournes he cries under it he will never be at rest or quiet untill he be delivered and God is at hand to deliver him and to rescue him This same Godly mourning it is upon the quickning of the new man in us of the Spirit in us which will not suffer nor indure iniquity it lusts against the flesh the Spirit lusts against the flesh Quest You read of the Prodigal how it is said he came to himself What was that he came to himself Answ This new man this Divine nature this holy seed that was carried away in flesh in sin where 't was dead as it were now is quickned he comes to himself he cannot endure to be in this state any longer he falls into a deep mourning a deep sense how sad his condition is that here he should serve swine serve lusts that he should be so far from God He remembreth he hath a Father considers that he hath bread enough at home
and here he is in drudgery hunger and thirst have I not a father saith he I 'le go home to my Father He came to himself This is the quickning and awaking of the Spiritual Seed the new man the new creature in us that is born of God knows God and can never be at quiet as long as flesh and sin do raign It lusts against the flesh This mourning brings in power from God whereby to discharge it self from the evil that oppresses it Godly sorrow saith the Apostle works repentance unto Salvation never to be repented of In spiritual mourning there is a kind of dying of flesh and denying of flesh an owning and honouring of God The man goes out of himself I am undone He goes out to God Crying My destruction is from my self but in thee is my help I am not able to deal with these enemies with Sin Hell and Death Now help me Lord. This is the travail of the Soul with Christ until he be formed in us Spititual mourning Godly mourning it is the mourning of the Spirit in us with sighs and groans not to be expressed There is worldly mourning and there is Godly mourning There is fleshes mourning and Spirits mourning Fleshes mourning is for Affliction for trouble Take away this plague saith Pharoah The Spirits mourning is for sin I have done foolishly take away my sin saith David Fleshes mourning is sins mourning it would be delivered it would not be plagued The Spirits mourning is against sin take away the plague of the heart Spiritual mourning is to lament after the Lord. 'T is said of the children of Israel They mourned after the Lord 1 Sam. 7. towards the end of the chap. This is what the new man doth the Spiritual man the heavenly man in us the new creature when he is awakened when he is quickned which indeed is the conversion of a sinner the awakning the new man in him and this new man being the seed of God cannot endure to abide in filth in the dark but is making out making from whence it came making to his Father making unto God in mourning in a deep sense of its wretched condition in darkness in weakness in the power of lusts O miserable man who shall deliver me from this body of death I thank God through Jesus Christ Here was a mighty proof of the Corinthians delivering their own hearts and delivering this person that the Devil had much power over I had an intent to have enlarged this further but I will rather break off and may goe on at another time SERMON II. 1 COR. 5. 1 2 3 4 5. It is reported commonly c. HEre is a great and foul sin that doth veil a dear Saint a sin not named amongst the Gentiles such a sin as the Gentiles are ashamed of is found in a Congregation of Saints It is there and they do not see it nor take notice of it they are all asleep the whore hath put her cup to their mouths and they are all drunken with the world and pride Ye are puft up and have not rather mourned That is it we were upon in the morning That security and spiritual drunkenness may befall Saints The devil may get in among them in the basest practises and they not take notice of it but dream of righteousness and glory This Church were all asleep Saint Paul he awakens them he mourns and awakens them he comes to them in the spirit and sets them a mourning and so they go forth together in the power of the Lord Jesus and quit themselves and this poor deluded soul among them from the snare of the devil The Apostle before he brings them to judge this incestuous person he judges the whole Church and brings them to judge themselves and that is it that must be first we must be judged before we can sit in judgement Before we come forth in the judgement of the Lord against others we must be brought before the Tribunal of the Lord. The Apostle charges the whole Church with sin and delivers them first to Satan and then with them delivers this person from Satan He shews them that they are in the snare of the devil This is to be delivered unto Satan and this was the delivery of this incestuous person unto Satan A spiritual discovery that he was in Satans hands He was in Satans hands before but now the spirit of God came forth unto him by Paul and the Church to discover it to him and so he was delivered unto Satan and after he delivers the whole Church to Satan and after delivers them from Satan and then goes to work with them to deliver up this person to save him They were all partakers of his sin in that they were not sensible of it but were puft up He tells them what did rather become them what concerned them and that was to mourn ye have not mourned rather this is that you should be found in spiritual mourning Through spiritual mourning the power of God comes upon the Saints to discharge their own hearts and their Congregations from sin and wickedness This kinde saith Christ goes not forth but by fasting and prayer He speaks of a child possessed of the devil The Disciples could not cast him out and they ask Christ the Reason This kinde saith he goes not forth but by fasting and prayer By spiritual mourning by earnest contending with God by the power of the spirit in mourning and wrastling with God as Jacob did who had power with God we shall obtain power against sin Hos 12. He wept and he made supplication c. You will never have power against sin unless you have power over God You will never overcome the wicked one unless you first overcome God and God is overcome no way but by his own power in mourning and supplication 't is his power made out when flesh is denyed and he is owned 'T is by his own power his hands are bound Let me go saith God I will not let thee go saith Jacob until thou bless me He wept and he made supplication as you may see in that fourth of Hosea This same mourning out of which God comes forth in power against sin it is the spirits mourning the spirit in the Saints in Sighs and Groans It is the reviving and quickning of the new man that lay dead in the flesh who seeing himself thus besmeared thus imprisoned thus captivated with sin and Satan he is breaking out of it he cannot have rest in that state he sees he is not at home Whither am I carryed from my Fathers house saith the Prodigal when he came to himself It is the travel of the spiritual man as Christ expresses it Joh. 16. 20. in which the man-childe is brought forth the spirit as it was here in Paul and in the Saints which being brought forth was able to deal with Satan and with hell to send Satan to Satan and hell to hell What doth hell
when there is no such thing We have done so a long time and the people have been deceived we have done it and have effected nothing but take heed of continuing this practise Remember when the Spirit was abroad what befell them that used this practice In the nineteenth of the Acts The Exorcists took upon them to command the evil spirit in the name of Jesus We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth and the evil Spirit answered and said Jesus we know and Paul we know but who are ye And the man in whom the evil spirit was leap'd on them and overcame them and prevailed against them so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded God hath winked a great while but he will not bear as he hath done When he comes forth again men shall not take his name in vain as they have done That which concerns us to do is to sit down in silence and mourn as the Apostle hath it here and plainly to confess and acknowledge that that power of the spirit that hath appeared doth not appeare now We do not finde that able Ministery of the New-Testament now that hath been We plainly see that Scripture 2 Thes 2. fullfilled of the Spirits drawing in that the man of sin might be revealed and truly the man of sin hath been so much revealed and the darkness hath been so great as we have not seen the darkness but now that the spirit is returning we begin to see where we were we begin to see what fools and mad mens parts we have acted how we have gon forth in the name of spirit and brought forth nothing how we have made our selves ridiculous to those that did observe and mark what the effect was but now we see it is the time of the Apostasie indeed and shall look forth for that power of the spirit that hath been abroad in the Primitive times that shall return again and not onely bridle and keep down Antichrist but destroy the man of sin till we shall see this power come forth let us sit down in silence for in all our own acting and talking we are but Sorcerers and Enchanters without this power There is now a low administration of the spirit and we wait when the spirit will be more manifest we are looking after him when he will come and this is that that concerns us to do to sit down in silence and mourn The people of Israel mourned after the Lord when the Ark was in the Philistines hands it hath been so now for these fifteen hundred yeers When we lament after the Lord surely then the time is that the Lord is coming forth again When we acknowledge what man is that we have no strength Out of weak we shall be made strong and the Lord whom we look for will suddainly come into his Temple If we were out of our pride out of our puffe out of our vaunting and were come to lie in the dust to put our mouths there and say we have no strength God hath left us O Lord when wilt thou return again to us When we are thus mourning surely then the time is coming that this power will come forth again and that in a greater manifestation then ever it yet appeared Out of weak we shall become strong It is not in any mans wisdom or strength to cast sin out of his own heart or out of any Church or Congregation When we see we cannot do it and sit down and mourn that the Lord would come and be present with us as he hath been formerly surely he will come This is that we ought to do Ye ought rather to mourn All our teaching perswading and exhorting is to be in great humility in a sense of our own poorness and weakness and of Gods long withdrawing waiting for any appearance of his though but a low appearance God hath been working and acting all this time of Antichrist but in great obscurity and under ground and now we are looking when he will come forth again for the brightness of his coming is that which will destroy that man of sin 2 Thes 2. You ought rather to have mourned that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you 'T is the Lords work and not mans And let 's compare this rule with our practice particularly Men when they see the devil got into their hearts and would be rid of him what do they do They fast and pray and go forth in the strength of this duty and the other duty But what is to be done Why wait until power come wait till the Lord come wait that the evil one may be cast out and do not think you can cast him out your selves And in Churches what is done We look that the Officers and Elders should rid us of the wicked one and that the major part of the Church and Assembly their Vote should do it and what the major part of the Church concludes that we look upon as the work of the spirit and so there is sentence past but where is the power Nay going a long with the sentence oftentimes you cast out Christ and cast out the truth and so come to another kinde of Popery a new kinde of Popery while you set up in the place of the spirit any man or any Assembly of men what ever they be you set up a Pope Our work is to mourn if the spirit be not present if he be present to go forth in his power and in his might And then the effect will be the devil will flee and sin will flee O how glorious things are Churches that hold out the power of the Lord Jesus O what prisons are Churches where there is nothing but forms nothing but lust and Satan and the world and flesh that act and rule under them O how glorious things are Churches in whom Christ hath a Throne and where we see spiritual power But where do we see it now Churches that are the light of the world and the salt of the earth where shall we finde them It is not by any power or wisdom of man whereby sin is cast out of any particular heart or out of a Church or Congregation You ought rather to have mourned Paul he had mourned and he professes elsewhere in what deep sorrow he wrote unto them 2 Cor 2. In deep sorrow and abundance of tears he wrote unto them being sensible of this condition in which they were and the spirit of power came forth in his mourning to awaken them to set them a mourning and to cause them to come forth in power to save the spirit of this defiled person by the destroying of the flesh That which is Pauls part follows in the next words v. 3. For I verily as absent in body but present in spirit have judged already as though I were present concerning him that hath so done this deed The Apostle judges and he judges being absent First What had the
flesh Here is a piece of Discipline that is the priviledge of a Saint it looks terribly but it is for salvation that the spirit may be saved Here is destruction in it but destruction is for salvation There are that are Satans let them be delivered to him there they abide they return no more there is that that returns again that the spirit may be saved The devil takes his own meddles with nothing else the flesh destroyed the spirit saved Deliver him to Satan how is that that is let him see that he is in Satans hands that he is drudging in his work that he is a vassal of his in this incest that he hath committed let him see this Qu. Why but he was in Satans hands under Satans power in the commission of this evil what then is this Delivering to Satan Answ Let him see it and let him feel it let him feel hell and feel wrath let him finde the flames about him And so I look upon that Scripture in Joh. 16. 8. to be the interpretation of this Scripture The Spirit shall convince of sin and of righteousness and of judgement Here is the power of the Lord Jesus the spirit of the Lord Jesus v. 4. by this there is a Delivery unto Satan a conviction of sin that the flesh may be destroyed and the spirit may be saved that righteousness and judgement may come forth This is convincing of sin of righteousness and of judgement Deliver him to Satan tie him fast by a spirit of bondage fill his soul with fear and trembling Deliver him for the destruction of the flesh The destruction of the flesh that 's the destruction of Satan Satans kingdom is in the flesh Gods rule is in the spirit deliver him to Satan that Satan may be destroyed Let him see that he is in the hands of Satan that the Spirit may make out of his hands the flesh is nothing but enmity to God The devil is the enemy of God so is flesh and if enemy be too little 't is said to be enmity Rom. 8. 7. the wisdom of the flesh is enmity to God The wisdom of the flesh the most glorious piece of flesh is enmity to God the flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh Deliver him unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh deliver him to Satan that Satan may be destroyed they that are in the flesh cannot please God That the spirit may be saved There is in a Saint two natures flesh and spirit the law of the members and the law of the minde there is I and sin I and Christ as the Apostle expresses it There is flesh in which Satan rules and acts there is spirit that is the Divine nature that Saints do partake of and this same divine seed lieth buried in flesh in weakness in darkness under a law of sin and death till it be quickned and when quickned it stands up for its liberty and after quickned it may fall into a swound and be as it were dead again as this Corinthian Obs That the Spirit may be saved The destruction of flesh is the saving of Spirit and 't is the day of the Lord that saves the spirit and burns up flesh The Lords appearance is like fire that goes through the Bryars and Thorns and burns them together the manifestation of the Lord against whatsoever is against him consumes it destroys it If any will set the bryars and thorns against me in battail I will go through them and burn them together The day of flesh is night and darkness unto the spirit to that that is born of God The day of the Lord is the night of the flesh and the night of Satan 't is darkness and not light and here the spirit comes forth that that is of God comes forth and the flesh is destroyed Thus you have a short view of the meaning of the words and do you judge what I say That which is to be observed here may be branched out into divers particulars 1. First this That there is mercy kindness pity life salvation conveyed unto Saints by such ways and means where there is nothing visible but evil and death hell and destruction Deliver him to Satan c. send him to hell that he may be delivered from hell by terrible things dost thou answer us O God of our salvation 2. Another thing to be observed here is this That Satan and hell and death in all the powers thereof is under the power of the Lord Jesus Christ in his Saints When ye are gathered together with the power of the Lord Jesus deliver such a one unto Satan Deliver him for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved Satan is under the power of the Lord Jesus in his Saints in his people and he is disposed by them to take such a one to destroy his own power in him and to send him forth pure to send back that that is of God Deliver him to Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved The power of the Lord Jesus shall be manifested in the Saints to command and dispose of Satan and the power of hell This incestuous person was delivered unto Satan for what end That Satan should destroy himself in him now by the spirit of the Lord Jesus in the Church he is restored and received again In the second Epistle the second Chapter Now saith he ye ought to comfort him ye ought to relieve him sufficient to such a man is that punishment take heed he be not swallowed up of too much sorrow let him not lie too long in hell for we are not ignorant of Satans devices So he is put into Satans hands and taken out by the power of the Lord Jesus in his people This is that power that Paul did act in when he speaks of some that he had delivered unto Satan that they might learn not to blaspheme 1 Tim. 1. 20. Whom I have delivered unto Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme Strange that Satan should teach men not to blaspheme this is the power of the Lord Jesus in the Saints We know little of it or scarce any thing at all in this time of the Apostasie and of revealing of the man of sin but we look for the coming forth of this power in a more glorious manner then ever it was abroad yet when shall that be when by the brightness of his coming he shall consume that man of sin The power of the Lord Jesus in his people doth command devils and hell Do you not know saith the Apostle that the Saints shall judge the world Do you not know that we shall judge Angels So it follows in the next chapter to the Text 1 Cor. 6. 2 3. Whose is the power of judgeing the world and Angels is it not the Sons That which is the Sons is the Saints â—he same glory thou hast given me I have given them All power saith
Christ is given me both in heaven and in earth The Father comes forth in Christ and Christ comes forth in the Saints Christ comes forth in the flesh lower then the Angels He makes him lower then the Angels he comes forth as a servant while the son is under age he is kept as a servant he is made of a woman made under the Law at last the Father comes to own him as his son and Christ owns him as his Father When the time appointed of the Father comes he sends his spirit into our hearts saying 'T is your Fathers pleasure to give you a kingdom Christ hath the keys of hell and death and he exercises these keys in his Saints We at present do not know how he exercises these but we shall know how when we feel the want of them when we see our weakness and darkness and mourn after the Lord. God hath suffered the devil hell and sin to be a kinde of Cloak and covering upon himself but when he pleaseth he will come forth and command them The Saints need not the worlds power and force to go to the world for power is to go to the devil for power The Saints have power with God and therefore must needs have power over Satan And this power the Saints obtain by mourning as the Apostle hath it in the second verse Ye ought rather to have mourned Iacob wept and made supplication wrastled with God and so prevailed The Saints indeed they are great persons but few there are that know themselves We are the sons of God but the world doth not know us God hath brought forth himself and brought forth Christ in his Saints and people but that was but a first fruits to shew what he will do fully He shall come to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired in them that believe The spirit of God was withdrawn that the man of sin might appear This is that believers should do they should be looking after this power the power of the Lord Jesus What a poor thing it is to spend our time in an outward powerless profession onely If we are Christians and of Iesus Christ we cannot do so The kingdom of God is not in word but in power Do we profess Christ Where is the power of the Lord Iesus Why do lusts and corruptions reign in our hearts Why have Satan and the world such power over us Where is the power of the Lord Jesus Where is the spirit of Eliah as Elisha said when he had seen his master taken up into heaven and had received his mantle and had a promise of a doubling of that spirit Christ is taken up into Heaven He hath told us greater works then he did in that flesh should we do in his Spirit Where is that spirit Where is that power by which devils were made to tremble and submit to him 'T is time we should begin to know our selves that we are of God that we are the Temple of God the body of the Lord that we are the fulness of Christ and that in us he will manifest himself and 't is that we should look for We should be weary of a formal outward languishing profession and so bringing forth the Lord Jesus we shall make his name known O that thou wouldst bow the Heavens that thou would'st come down and make thy name known that Hell and Death and Satan and all the powers of darkness might melt before thee Resist the devil saith James and he will flie from you What is that power by which the devil is resisted 'T is the power of Christ the power of the Lord Jesus is with his people though not yet manifested we should wait for it and not rest contented with the name but look after power to command hell and death those that have commanded us We are comforting our selves that Christ hath done this for us 'T is true he hath done this for us he will do it in us The Apostle bids us stand to it in Eph. 6. You wrastle not with flesh and blood but with principalities and powers therefore put on the whole armour of God If you be true Israel you are able to deal with God and then the devil and the world are not able to stand against you Do you believe this Then wait for it The next thing I shall commend unto you is this That we must be delivered to Satan before we can be delivered from Satan For the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. And if this stick in your stomacks and will not go down let me offer it to you in an old expression of Divinity as they call it that is That God leads his people to Heaven by Hell We must be delivered to Satan if ever we will be delivered from Satan Satan hath carryed all the seed of God captive in the flesh 'T is under the law of sin sin and death hath captivated the whole seed of God here this seed lieth as it were dead in a swound and in this state we dream of nothing but life and happiness great enjoyments when we are captives to Satan at his pleasure God he quickens this same seed this divine nature and then they see where they are see how they were deceived what a fools Paradise they were in then they have no rest till they be delivered This is to be delivered from Satan to see that we are in Satans power So it comes to this That there must be a discovery of our state under the power of darkness before we be delivered from it Deliver him unto Satan destroy him that he may be delivered destroy him that he may be saved kill him that he may be made alive convince him of sin then of righteousness Deliver him unto Satan is quicken him and enlighten him that he may see where he is in Satans power And whereas before there was peace when the strong man kept the house it was because he did not see Satan but now he sees him there is nothing but trouble there is no rest till he be delivered This is nothing but what the Apostle saith you hath he quickened that were dead in trespasses and sins Dead in trespasses and sins here is the seed of God under the power of Satan The spirit quickned sees whereabouts it is sees that it is in hell among devils lusts death and flames and it cannot abide here The Prodigal came to himself that was the quickning of this divine seed he was well enough before at the swine-trough till he comes to himself O then he cannot endure it he cannot live here any longer We must be delivered to Satan before we can be delivered from Satan And the ground and reason of this lieth thus God hath let all his seed fall under the hands and power of death and Satan and he would never suffer this state unless he meant they should be sensible of it unless he did
intend it should be discovered unto them God he is pleased that the devil and death should possess our life and carry it away and there is no recovering of it but by going into death and into Hell God he goes in there bindes the strong man in his house and recovers his goods There is no delivery from Satan but by being delivered to Satan and this delivery to Satan is conviction of the Spirit a cleer sensible discovery that we have been in Satans power 1. Therefore the use of it is this to call upon us to entertain convictions of the spirit that discover sin and hell and death within us It concerns us to entertain these for here is our life our salvation We must be delivered to these before we can be delivered from them Be not afraid to go into Egypt saith God by Jeremy and serve the King of Babylon for God hath delivered all-into his hands God hath delivered all flesh into Satans hand 't is in vain standing out in thy knowledge in thy righteousness thou must let all go thou must be content seeing 't is the will of God to be Satans and Hells vassal to bear thy burthen to endure thy captivity and hence the Lord will bring thee forth I do not speak that any soul should entertain Sin and Satan and Hel as the world doth with delight and pleasure for 't is death to him so to do Hell is Hell to him the devil is the devil to him but yet he sees there is no withstanding of it He must come under his power and feel he is under his power and then he shall have deliverance Therefore agree with thine adversary quickly while thou art in the way If God hath delivered thee unto Satan into his power 't is but while thou art in the way Tell the devil and sin 't is your hour I am your captive but I shall have deliverance and this discovery that I am your captive is the way of my deliverance This is the way for me to be delivered out of your hands Do not stand against conviction of the spirit do not stand against God when he convinces you that you are sinful for you will never make your selves righteous This it teacheth us first 2. In the next place This is that should quiet and still the soul in such discoveries God discovers Hell and death and sin and the power thereof to our soul Qu. Alas What shall I do I shall be damned the pit will shut her mouth upon me Answ No God is now saving when thou thinkest he is destroying Psal 18. 16. David there tells his experience and how God had delivered him out of hell He sent from above he took me and drew me out of many waters he delivered me from my strong enemy and from them which hated me for they were too strong for me But see through what a condition David was brought unto this salvation ver 4. The sorrows of death compassed me and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid the sorrows of hell compassed me about the snares of death prevented me c. to the 16 ver 'T is a description of those terrible workings in the spirits and souls of Gods people which do usher in salvation and life He discovers the foundations of the earth discovers hell there There is the Revelation of Jesus Christ that last book of the new Testament and that Revelation of Iesus Christ makes all those terrible discoveries there we read of The rising up of Iesus Christ in the soul this discovers flesh and hell and sin and so destroys them This should lift up our heads when darkness comes when we think that God is destroying his Saints he is saving them 3. And thirdly it should put us upon this to consider whether we have ever been delivered to Satan or no what discoveries have we had of Satans power of sins power hells power it concerns us to look to this For the way to be delivered from him is to be delivered to him We know the old way of Ministers that this discovery must be to such a measure and for such a time we have done with that God he works how he pleases he makes deep humiliation to be the foundation of glorious salvation From the greatest discoveries of hell and death he brings forth the most abundant glory The most dangerous estate of the soul is to be in a dead Palsie The physitian coming to one that 's taken with a dead Palsie he puts him into a Feaver to cure him This way the spirit of God takes with him that lieth dead God puts him into a feaver sends fire into his bones to secure his life his soul for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved That 's another thing to be taken notice of that sin hell and death are destroyed by a discovery He was delivered unto Satan was in his power when he committed that sin now let him see where he is for the destruction of the flesh for the destruction of Satan whose kingdom is in the flesh Satan Hell and Death are destroyed in the Saints by a discovery And the reason why the discovery destroys them is because it is such a discovery as 't is 't is a discovery by quickning You hath he quickned that were dead in trespasses and sins This holy seed which is of God cannot endure sin which is death to it A discovery by the spirit is not a notional discovery as when a man or a letter shall come and tell us but such a discovery of sin and hell as makes us feel it The spirit once awakened in a Saint sin can have no entertainment there The power of the Lord Iesus delivering us to Satan that discovery destroys Satan Hell and sin cannot be entertained but in his own place and the spirit once awakened in the Saints cannot agree with hell light and darkness Christ and Belial cannot agree And that is it that concerns every one of us that minde life and peace and salvation in good earnest to make after light after knowledge not head-knowledge but heart-knowledge the light of the spirit stand up from the dead and Christ shall give you light Wait to be renewed in the spirit of your minds to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ Let us not stint our selves to any measure or degree of knowledge Take heed of refusing knowledge because 't is new and strange but examine it Entertain strangers kindly for by it some have entertained Angels unawares Wait for the Revelation of the Spirit the teaching of the Spirit And take another thing here That there is no discovery that destroys flesh and saves spirit but that which is made by the power of the Lord Iesus 'T is not mans discovery nor the discovery that our own Reason makes 't is not a letter discovery but a a discovery of light and power by the Lord Iesus that makes an
when the people undertook to obey it the Lord pittied them O that there were such an heart in this people that they would obey me It was a manifestation to discover sinfulness and weakness death and the curse and so to usher in a manifestation of life and power But now ye are come to the Gospel state ye are come to Mount-Sion ye are come where God dwells ye are come into a comforting and chearing presence ye are come to the Mount that may be touched without fear or terror It may be touched There are spiritual senses as 1 Joh. 1. 1. That which we have heard which we hame seen which our hands have handled of the word of life that declare we unto you that you may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the father and with his son Jesus Christ and so it s the Mount that may be touched We are come to the City of the living God We are come where God dwells we are come to communion with God and one with another in the spirit we are come where God is in the midst of his people He hath quickned us who were dead in sins and set us down in heavenly places in the heavenly Jerusalem If we are come to the heavenly Jerusalem we are past the wilderness we are come to our rest There remaineth a rest to the people of God and that 's the heavenly Jerusalem of which the earthly Jerusalem and Canaan were but a Type This heavenly Jerusalem is the mother of us all And to an innumerable company of Angels Not onely to be administred unto by Angels as under the legal dispensation but to administer unto Angels for to them is made known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God And to the general Assembly and the Church of the first-born We are come to the General Assembly we are above particular Churches though we walk in them yet we are not bound to them nor bound in them We are come to the Church of the first-born who are written in Heaven We are come to those that are in Christ that partake of the divine nature in which God lives and acts and whom God fills who are born of the spirit who are sons and heirs together with Christ Who are written in Heaven There was a first-born written in earth in the letter in flesh Let Israel my son go for he is my first-born said God to Pharoah but this was after the flesh We are come to God the Judge of all We have boldness towards God We are above the judgement of men yea above the judgement of our own Consciences It is a very small thing to me saith the Apostle to the Corinthians to be judged by you or of mans judgement yea I judge not mine own self 1 Cor. 4. 3. We are passed from death to life and we are come to God the Judge of all we can stand before God the Iudge of all We are come to the spirits of just men made perfect We are come to see and to acknowledge the spiritual and divine nature whereof through exceeding great and precious promises we are made partakers we are come to see and to be the spiritual man the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness we are come to the holy one born of the Holy Ghost to Christ formed in us who is not tainted with any pollution who sinneth not nor can he commit sin Though he dwell among devils and death yet he partakes not of their filth and guilt but shall overcome and destroy them all And to Iesus the Mediator of the new Covenant We are come to Iesus to the truth as it is in Iesus to the power and wisdom of God which is Iesus we have the Law written in our hearts We are come to Iesus instead of Moses who is the Mediator of a better Covenant If we be Christians indeed we are not come to a Law that hath onely a sound of words written on stone but we are come to a Law written in our hearts we are come to Iesus the Mediator of the new Covenant We are come to the efficacy of his mediation And to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things then that of Abel The blood of sprinkling It is an allusion taken from those sprinklings under the Law all which pointed to this We are not come â—â— corruptible blood we are come to the blood of sprinkling that is incorruptible That speaks better things c. It speaks and what doth it say It makes intercession for us it makes intercession in us and the Lord he is with us by a word of power speaking and commanding sin and death Satan and Hell out of our souls This is the Doctrine The glorious state which is the true Gospel state it is the state of every true Believer though it may be many do not know it it is a state in the spirit and it is revealed by the spirit This is the Gospel state and therefore if you profess the Gospel do not sit down below it Let us all be making to it let us not stay at Mount-Sinai but let us pass on to Mount Sion Let every one of us look whereabouts we are whether we be under a spirit of fear if we be this is Mount-Sinai or whether we be under a spirit of love of power and of a sound minde if we be this is Mount-Sion Are we in earthly or in heavenly places Take notice that there are three states 1. One is in Egypt under the bondage of sin Satan death and hell 2. Another is leading out of Egypt in the wilderness at Mount-Sinai leading up to Adams perfection to a perfection in nature but there is no resting here This is but a shadow Christ in the flesh came in this natural perfection but he dyed to it and in it and rose again to the life of God 3. A third state is the spirits of just men made perfect Here is rest and stability Here is the kingdom of God do not sit down below this for if you do you sit down at best in natural Reason in a shadow in a lye Some sit down in the filth of nature but do not ye sit down no not in the excellency and perfection of nature Look to the high calling of God in Christ Iesus unto which ye are called But I pass over from the Doctrine and come to the Vse which the Apostle makes in ver 25. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven God speaks once and twice and we hear him not God is continually speaking He speaks in every creature he speaks in every providence he speaks in every administration do you know his voice He speaks on earth and he speaks from heaven See that ye refuse not him that speaketh God speaks from
earth if I have told you earthly things and ye believe not saith Christ how will ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things There are higher and there are lower administrations wherein God appears Are we acquainted with them Do we know them God speaks on earth from Mount-Sinai and he speaks from heaven at Mount-Sion he spake from Mount-Sinai and he was refused yet there was a shew of entertaining All that the Lord saith unto us will we do but O said the Lord that there were such an heart in this people that they would obey my voice They said they would obey but their hearts turned back again to Egypt God speaks on earth and who doth hear who doth not refuse he speaks with a loud voice on earth he manifests his glory and every one seems to hear seems to stoop and bow before him but they are all lyars God speaks from heaven he speaks in the spirit he speaks in a low and still voice as it were afar off in a far Country and from this far Country he sends to his Subjects to see if they will own him but they say We will not have this man to reign over us God comes in a full manifestation of himself and then every knee stoops and bows to him some sincerely others feignedly and lyingly as it is said Thine enemies shall be found lyars When God shall make us Mount-Sion when he shall awaken the spiritual man when he shall quicken the new man that lieth as it were dead in us then we shall hear then we shall obey There is nothing so much concerns us as to know the voyce of God to hear him speak My sheep hear my voyce and the voyce of a stranger they will not hear John 10. God speaks and God gives an ear to hear him speak He that hath an ear to hear let him hear Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire mine ears hast thou opened then said I Lo I come in the volumn of the book it is written of me I delight to do thy will Psal 40. 6 7. God is speaking and the Devil is speaking happy are they whose ears God hath opened that can distinguish that know the voyce of God from the voyce of a stranger See that ye refuse not him that speaks There is nothing in man but what refuseth to hear God speak but what refuseth God himself whether he speaks from earth or from heaven That man doth hear God speak that doth know the voyce of God it is the spiritual man the new man that is born of the Spirit The carnal man the natural man cannot possibly hear God speak he refuseth God The wisdom that is in him is enmity to God He is not subject to the Law of God nor indeed can be But they that will not know his voyce they shall know it They that will not yield to it shall be broken by it it is a terrible voyce When he shall come and speak from heaven those whose hearts are not brought to a compliance with him shall be destroyed by his presence He will come in flaming fire to render vengeance to them that obey not the Gospel Next we may take notice of the effects of this voyce whose voyce then shook the earth but he hath promised saying Yet once more I shake not the earth only but heaven also When you meet with shakings and violent motions then know what the matter is Why the Lord is speaking Heaven and earth are shaking at this time Do we see the Lord and hear the Lord We are fallen into shaking times His voyce once shook the earth but now it shakes not only earth but heaven Haggai 2. This Scripture shews what is to be expected the shaking of heaven and earth and then the desire of all nations What is that Why it is Christ he is called the desire of all nations All nations desire him though they do not know him and when he is come he shall fill Sion and Jerusalem he shall fill his Saints and people the City and the house built of living stones shall be filled with Glory he will fill all things Eph. 4. 10. When Christ came forth in flesh there were shakings in heaven and earth When Christ came forth in Spirit upon the Apostles and primitive Christians what a shaking was there then of heaven and earth What strange workings were there in the hearts of men through the light and evidence and demonstration of spirit that went abroad That was the beginning of this last shaking after that God was pleased to draw in and to retire that the wicked one might return again to shew what he was that Antichrist might appear and set up his trade under the name of the Spirit and when the man of sin is fully revealed then the Lord will come forth again and by the Spirit of his mouth and the brightness of his coming will he utterly destroy him and that will be a terrible shaking indeed Yet once more I shake not earth only but heaven This shaking is begun Are we sensible of it What wars and rumors of wars are there What overturnings Let us see whether we be not under the appearance of this shaking shaking of earth shaking of heaven shaking of Forms of Religion of Churches All that is earthly shall be shaken that the earthliness being removed the true body may be brought forth anew in the Spirit How many in these times hove lost their wisdom and their righteousness that they looked upon as great gain was ever such confusion as there is at this day Yet once more I shake not the earth only but heaven It is certain we are come to it but are we sensible of it God is shaking us out of fleshly and formal Religion out of mans Religion and mans Righteousness he is destroying the old man and bringing forth the new man he is destroying the old earth and heaven and bringing forth a new earth and heaven wherein righteousness shall dwell He hath promised saying yet once more This terrible shaking cometh forth in a promise It is a mercy a blessing a deliverance It is the Redemption of the people of God Lift up your heads for your Redemption draweth nigh When Paul and Silas were in Prison and in the Stocks at Midnight there was an earthquake that shook the foundations of the prison and that became their deliverance How many of the Saints will lie in Prison and in the Stocks at midnight till this earthquake come and shake them out Then shall come the desire of all nations By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us O God of our salvation How will God answer us Why saith he I must remove all this corruptible frame I must create a new heaven and a new earth I must shake the Civil Estate and the Religious Estate I must shake off old Adam I must shake out Antichrist Christ must go away in his appearance in flesh that he may return again
upon him as intending this natural body so they betake themselves to fasting whipping themselves such bitter doings but it s the body of sin and the body of death where lust doth war War against whom Against the soul saith Peter I beseech you abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul war against the Spirit the flesh lusteth against the spirit Gal. 5. as the spirit lusts against the flesh They war against God and the Spirit and God against them there is Satan death and sin in these lusts the wisdom of the flesh is enmity to God the friendship of the world is enmity to God it wars against God This is that James saith in Verse 4. from this Text Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity to God c. These lusts do war against God they are the bryars and thorns that are set in battel against God as it is in Isa 27. 4. Who will set the bryars and thorns against me in battel I le go through them and burn them together Lusts they war against God God comes forth in his appearances these oppose him God appears in a Law why Lust stands up in a Law I must have this I must have that says Lust God he calls he would have the heart and he would have love and he would have righteousness Lust says I must have it It wars against God and think you what Lust shall get by this warfare against the great God That you shall see here in the second ver Ye lust and have not ye kill and desire to have and cannot obtain ye fight and war yet ye have not And so Lust is miserably disappointed Lust wars and fights and kills and it does not onely war and fight and kill but it preys too Lust will be Religious Lust will murther and devour and commit all outrages and it will be as civil and as Religious as any in the outward shew Ye ask too and yet ye have not and so here 's nothing but disappointment in Lust in going out to the world ye fight and war and ye have not Ye have not what ye would have ye have not enough Disappointment in respect of Satisfaction and Rest that is the lot of Lust of all desires going out from God going out to the creature go out to any thing but God ye shall never have it Ye shall have this thing ye shall have the other thing but ye shall never be happy and the thing ye seek is happiness Every man seeks it Lust calls for this thing and the other thing ye may have the thing but ye shall never be happy He sends leanness into your souls he gave them their desires and sent leanness withal into their souls There are two things that cause the disappointment of worldly and fleshly Lust The one is that it wars with God which is Omnipotent Lust crucifies him The other is because it seeks satisfaction and rest in those things that cannot afford it and so t is like the grave and hell still it cries give give It desires shadows it clasps about them it cannot desire God It desires nothing but to kill him It would kill him that is onely desirable that is onely life and onely happiness How happy are they in whom God is killing Lust How miserable are they that are serving their Lusts when will be an end of this drudgery While ye are walking on in your Lusts you 'l set upon any thing If you can't move heaven you 'l see if you can move hell You 'l try if you can get it by Prayer if you cannot you 'l get it by fighting but you shall have it neither way You do but kill your selves all the while You war against the soul you war against God and man and must needs war against your soul While that Lust lives it brings nothing but torment It s a very hell unto a man It s the very devil therefore when James prescribes the remedy he says Resist the devil and he will flie from you Serving lust is serving the devil Its drudging in hell You 'l ever be poor you 'l never be rich you 'l be drudges while you live or else be thieves and murtherers you 'l fight and war ye kill and yet ye have not God says that hee 'l famish all the Gods of the Heathen this Lust is the great God famish this and they are all famish'd and God will famish this and what will you be famish'd with it O awake rather that it may be slain you will suffer continually while you live in it whiles you are led by it it will be with you as with a man that hath a dogs stomack it will never be satisfied like one who hath a wolf in his body it will eat him and devour him there is no satisfying him Who is it that would live in peace and not in torment if you will live in peace give up your lusts submit your selves to God let him dispose of you as James expresses in that which follows Turn to God and desire nothing but him all desires and prayings which are not after God they are only stretchings out and inlargings of heart and there is nothing but filling with wind nothing but emptying it self O that God would come in and destroy all these hungry dogs and all these greedy hell-hounds these same lusts and devils You lust and have not you kill and desire to have and cannot obtain ye war and fight and have not Here 's the progress of your lust it comes to fighting The devil is a murtherer lust is angry even unto death if it cannot have what it would have it throws firebrands and arrows t is hungry and it breaks stone walls much more through flesh walls Ye lust and ye kill whom doth it kill why it kills man 't will make you kill your neighbors Ahab for the liking he took to Naboths vineyard must have the vineyard he is sick he could not live without it here was the lust of Covetousness David must not live because he was better then Saul here 's the lust of envy Saul he 'l kill him Vriah must not live because he had an handsome wife here 's lust in David Mordecai must not live because he will not stand up to Haman a pair of gallows is built for him here 's the lust of pride it hunts for the precious life of his neighbor ye kill one another and ye kill your selves O I pitty you Lust wars against the soul it sucks the very blood of body and soul it blinds mens eyes that they do not see it and these Lusts they kill one another squable one with another there is contention among Lusts which should have the mastery and as fishes in the Sea the greater devour the smaller so it is here and many a man blesses himself in a fools Paradise is overcome while he thinks he is Conquerour Ye kill But whom do these Lusts kill They kill
with God 't is heart-Adultery to go out after any creature to go out after any creature but in God is Adultery and if this be Adultery every one if we should look into our own hearts will be careful and afraid to throw stones at an Adulteress you know the story in the Gospel whosoever he be that fears God he hates and detests all evil yet he sees it in his heart and though he be free from gross acts yet he will be far from insulting over any that are left to defile themselves with gross acts The desire of any creature it is Adultery Flesh can do nothing but commit Adultery All Flesh hath corrupted their way but it doth not break out alike but all are alike in the root to make out after any creature is Adultery And again The friendship of the world is enmity unto God Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity to God and he that is a friend to the world is an enemy to God This is that other Scriptures hold forth The love of mony is the root of all evil Love not the world nor the things thereof whosoever loves the world the love of God is not in him 1 Joh. 2. 15. They are enemies to the Cross of Christ that mind earthly things Phil. 3. about the end enemies to the Cross of Christ what is the business of the Cross of Christ to crucifie us to the world and the world to us you admire outward things and love outward things you have friendship with them you are enemies to the cross of Christ and therefore ungodliness and worldly lusts are joyned together Tit. 2. The grace of God that brings salvation unto all men hath appeared teaching us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts c. We cannot serve God and Mammon friendship of the world is enmity to God and therefore let every one consider what his heart most ayms at and what his Prudence and Wisdom and Providence is what that is that the world does so admire and extol Is it friendship with the world or no So long as thou dost well to thy self men will speak well of thee but thou dost well to thy self indeed when thou seekest after the Lord thirstest after him and lustest after him and desirest him and in all desires in which thou art carryed out towards any thing but him thou expressest enmity to him thou lovest not him There is no going from God but to the creature thou art the creatures if thou have left God he that is a friend to the world is an enemy unto God What is friendship with the world when that we seek the creature for it self we are in love with it we do not seek God but seek it when we put our rest in it cannot be without it must have it put it in Gods place we must have such a thing and the other thing we cannot be without it A pitiful thing to live in enmity to God O when God comes forth how shall we be devoured and destroyed before him But there are that will be friends with God and the world too let them look to it how they make it out the friendship of the world is enmity to God And now the Apostle is shewing here how the Scripture discovers this same evil that is in our hearts Vers 5. Do you think the Scripture saies in vain The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy Does the Scripture say in vain the Scripture says nothing in vain but the Scripture speaks much in vain to us while that we do not mark it nor attend it We all speak for the Scripture how the Scripture is of God the Scripture is Truth and the Word of Truth we speak well of it but the Scripture doth not speak well of you It says The spirit that is in you lusts to envy There is nothing but evil in our hearts We shall never understand the Scripture till that we understand it in our own hearts Do you think that the Scripture says in vain The spirit in you lusteth to envy Where does the Scripture say this It says Every thought of mans heart is onely evil and that continually The Scripture it tells you the evil is in your hearts and there is no good in your flesh and let it not be in vain the Scripture tells you if it be in vain now and you do not entertain it and hear God will come and you will finde it so How many carry the Scripture a witness and testimony against them Does the Scripture say in vain there is evil in you and the spirit in you lusts to envy The devill is in your hearts and he reigns there Does the Scripture say this in vain You will not hear it now to heed it and believe it you shall feel it one day that the Scripture does not speak in vain The greatest contenders for the Scripture and the Authority thereof are the greatest despisers of the Scriptures for they make the Scriptures speak as Ahab would make Michaiah speak well of him speak nothing but good and will not observe that the Scripture speaks in discovery of our evil but this is to reject the Scripture to catch here and there a piece to serve our turn and abuse them and wrest them as the devil did so the devil in us does Do you think the Scripture saies in vain The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy But the Scriptue tells us not so I but the Spirit of God tells us in the Scripture In the Scripture there is a cleer discovery of evil in our hearts Vers 6. But he gives more grace To finish in a word What is the meaning of that Why I conceive it is to prevent an Objection which might arise from the foregoing words For if the spirit that be in us lust to envy and if that be to serve the devil and that is all in our wars contendings and fightings what shall we do it is in vain to speak Nay for he gives more grace There is more grace then there is sin And where sin hath abounded Grace shall abound much more there is one greater in you then he that is in the world He gives more grace Why God he comes forth in his people and he makes them able to deny themselves and this wicked one that lusts to envy He gives more grace Wherefore he says God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble Here is Pride seen in contention and war and when we submit to God and depend upon him we are well Submit your selves therefore to God He gives more grace to the humble And he gives thee grace to be humble If any man be humble it is his Grace and what is that Humility and Grace Submit your selves to God be at his dispose let him measure out that he knows convenient for you and do not you lust after this thing and the other thing but let God come out to you Feed
of us talk of grace and Salvation If we be partakers of grace and Salvation indeed then we are delivered from worldly Lusts in some degree We are taught by it to deny ungodliness and worldly Lusts We are taught by it likeness to God and not to be fashioned to this world To deny ungodliness is to deny every thing that is not like God Not to walk like men the Apostle condemns the Corinthians that they walked like men It may be 't is a strange thing to hear we should not walke like men Like whom should we walk Like the Devil Like beasts So some do No you should walk like God The grace that brings Salvation It doth not bring you to satisfie sensuality to satisfie Lusts nor to follow the creature but it brings in power it brings in and raiseth up the life of God whereby we deny these Lusts whereby we famish these Gods of the Earth God saith he will famish all the Idols And this God doth when he riseth up in us he famisheth in us the Love of the World the love of flesh This grave and hell he starves them both This grace of God that brings Salvation leads up into Heaven into God into the Spirit and satisfies and fills us in the other World And we deny our Lusts after this They that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and Lusts They have done it and they are doing it 't is as good as already done for there is that power in them which will do it a greater power then is in the World 'T is the Circumcision in heart by the Circumcision of Christ 'T is dying with Christ and being buried with Christ 'T is dying to this fleshly State to this glory and these contentments It is the consecrating us to God so that he becomes our delight he is our Joy he is our riches We sought them in the flesh we sought them in the World Then we sought Corn and Wine and Oyle now nothing but the light of Gods countenance this is grace and this is Salvation And the world and the flesh which is generally sought after by us it is a vail of death It is a vail upon Christ a covering upon the life of God It is the grave and the prison of the Saints it is Babylon and the Northcountry into which we are carried The North-country far from the Sun far from light far from life When we come into flesh we are buried here we are estranged from our own life which is the life of God And the grace of God appearing that is as it were the Sun drawing nigh When the Sun comes in the Spring and Summer the face of the Earth is renewed We come into the nature of wrath but as grace returnes again so this life appears and comes forth this Sepulcher is opened and this vail is rent and the Earth gives up her dead and no longer covers her slain The flesh and World and glory thereof riches and contentment are a vail and covering upon the life of the Saints For God is life and Salvation union with him that is life indeed and the appearing of this union is life manifested That which the World and natural men do call death is indeed the swallowing up of death as 't is called Isa 25. He shall take away the vail and the covering that is upon the face of all People He shall wipe off all tears and shall swallow up death in Victory The World and flesh is a Vail and is a Vail of tears when this Vail is rent by the comming of that which is called death then life-comes indeed and death is swallowed up in it God who is our life appears Grace and Salvation is not leading us into contentments of the flesh into the abundance of the riches of the Earth 'T is not satisfying of lusts but the killing of lusts 't is bringing forth the Spirit bringing forth the life of God Godly in this present World By this will appear how far Salvation is from most men Salvation is far from the wicked as David hath it because they keep not thy Statutes Little do wicked men think there is no Salvation but in keeping Gods Statutes but that is the truth of it Salvation is conformity to God to be made like to God to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts and the love of the World is enmity to God This is Salvation and the same is destruction to wicked men Worldly men they have their life in the Vail their life is in the World and in the flesh When God appears and throws off the Vail there is nothing to be seen by them but death and destruction And what is the second death that the Scripture speaks of but the appearance of God The manifestation of God 't is the second death 't is everlasting destruction to them that know him not that have no life but in the flesh and in the world When God appears here ends their life and here begins destruction they are destroyed from his presence That which is life and Salvation indeed is death hell and destruction to a worldly man and if he speak his heart he will say if this be salvation let me have none of it I know not what it means I know no other life but this in the flesh What saith the Apostle The life I live I live by the faith of the Son of God t is not I live but Christ that lives in me though I live in the flesh yet I do not War after the flesh though I live in the World I am not conformed to the World but transformed On the other hand the life of the World is give me Corn Wine and Oyl ease in the flesh honour in the World the life of the Saints is lift up the light of thy countenance make me after thine own heart form me according to thine own Image fashion me to thy Will teach me to deny my self It is feeding hell and destruction to satisfie worldly lusts it is life and salvation to deny these to crucifie these therefore le ts be acquainted with grace and salvation what it is Le ts not deceive our selves with names of things le ts not call evil good and good evil put light for darkness and darkness for light Le ts not call wrath and destruction grace and salvation Whoever thou art that only looks to the world and flesh and outward things thou dwellest in wrath and destruction Thou hast vexation here and the Gospel makes thee mad for it puls thee from these things and with the more power it comes forth the more hell works within thee Now begin to learn what is salvation it is to have power to deny these lusts to crucifie the flesh to be taken out of sensuality to be redeemed from among men Is this a strange thing to you then salvation is strange and grace is strange 'T is to be conformed to God to know what his good and acceptable
carried on by degrees Christ he is formed in us but he comes forth as a child and weak at first The Lord he comes and takes possession sits in the throne and throws Satan and sin down but then they are striving to recover themselves again to come into their command rule again The flesh lusteth against the Spirit saith the Apostle Gal. 5. So that you cannot do the things that you would Every thing would live flesh would live When God comes to destroy it it strives and strugles as long as it can God will keep his people in exercise through weakness he will bring them into strength and so his strength shall be perfected And through many foiles and many times being overcome he will bring them at last into a compleat and glorious victory They shall try all the Powers of Hell and Satan and so see That greater is he that is in them then he that is in the World they shall see themselves though often foyl'd more then Conquerors through him that loves them They shall not go forth in haste as the Lord promises in bringing his People out of Babylon and is made true in their bringing forth out of Spiritual Babylon they shall not sneak out or steal out but shall go forth at last as Conquerors and the more foyles they have had the oftner overcome the more glorious will be their conquest Therefore fight the good fight of Faith O ye men of God fight the good fight of Faith You that are quickned with Christ raised up to fear God be not discouraged at those motions that you find in you endeavouring to hale and draw you back to ungodliness and worldly lusts again though they should come with violencc to draw you to that Prison and darkness again And you may wonder a while and say Why am I thus as Rebeccah did when twins were in her womb For t is the same case here the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh As you grow up into the light and knowledge of God you wil be above fears in this matter 't will not at all move you discourage you or dis-hearten you We do not feel death but as life comes in So long as thou stand'st thy ground and wilt not comply though thou dealest with an enemy and there be force upon thee Yet there is no cause why thou should'st be discouraged Here is ungodliness and here are worldly lusts but here is grace to deny them Here is the flesh that lusts against the Spirit but here is the Spirit also that lusts against the flesh When Moses comes the burthens of the Israelites are doubled So when the Spirit comes when righteousness comes when wisdom and Sanctification comes there is a fuller discovery and more busling of Satan and Hell then ever was before Denying ungodliness and worldly lusts They have their motions they do solicite where the grace of God that brings Salvation hath appeared But resist them Whom resist ye stedfast in the Faith c. Teaching us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts Quest What is ungodliness that grace teacheth us to deny Sol. Ungodliness is whatever is not of God whatever is not of the Father the lust of the eye the lust of the flesh and the pride of life This is not of the Father this is ungodliness Godliness is likness unto God t is bringing forth the Divine nature in us By precious promises saith Peter he hath made us partakers of the Divine nature The new man grows up in this sunshine the Spiritual the Heavenly man made after the Image of God in righteousness and true holiness Eph. 4. 21. God calls us to be holy as he himself is holy this is godliness God hath predestinated us to be conformable to the Image of his Son He hath given him to us an example that we should follow his steps Christ is the express Image of his fathers person And the design of the Gospel is to bring forth Christ in us My little children of whom I travail in birth till Christ be formed in you This is godliness to bring forth Christ in us God in us We shall be like him saith John 1 Joh. 3. at the beginning We shall be like him for we shall see him as he is The grace of God that brings Salvation brings us to be acquainted with God It is the revealing of God in us It is Gods manifesting himself to us with open face So that we are changed into his Image from glory to glory by the Spirit 2 Cor. 3. 18. It is Gods becoming our wisdom and righteousness and Sanctification and redemption 1 Cor. 1. ult But observe the manner of the Scriptures speaking in this particular To be led by the Spirit of God So are his Sons Rom. 8. To have our works wrought in God John 3. He comes to the light that his works may be manifested that they are wrought in God to cease from our own works as God did from his Heb. 4. Christ brought forth in us he speaks not of himself he works not of himself the Father speaks and the Father doth the works Joh. 1. 4. 10. Godliness is Godlikeness and when once we are taught Godliness we are taught not to walk as men as the Apostle hath it to the Corinthians Ye are carnal saith he and walk as men We walk in another light in another wisdom in another power in another life when once we are taught Godliness Christ died for us the just for the unjust to bring us unto God as Peter hath it The grace of God teacheth us to deny ungodliness carries us into the life of God into the power of God into the light of the God into glory of God into the Kingdom of God Doth not the Scripture say as much It were grace and Salvation to restore us unto that perfect Image in which Adam was brought forth in flesh But God hath more grace for us and greater Salvation even to bring forth his own life in us to make us Children of the Resurrection The life of Adam as it was in innocency it was a glorious life but it was weak and fading as we see But this life is a life that can never fade 't is strong 't is everlasting ' t is an inheritance immortal undefiled that fadeth not away that sin and death can never conquer Christ rising from the dead he dies no more 'T is the life of God the Scripture speaks of I in them and they in me that they may be perfect in one Because I live you shall live also 'T is not the Image of the earthly man but the Image of the Heavenly man that the grace of God restores us to We come short of the Gospel if we sit down and rest our selves in the righteousnes of man 't is the righteousnesness of God which is the mark that is set before us he hath called us into his own Kingdom and glory The grace of God
thy love who ever art the Reader desiring thee to remember that whatsoever is ministred to us either by men or books though of the most spiritual subjects is no better then the Mantle of Elijah unless the God of Elijah be there if the truth dwell in thee I am Thine in the Lord C. Worsley To the memory of Mr. Goad PErfections Samplar draught of spotless life Envy of Preachers and of Hearers strife Wrapt up in silence and laid by Till death unfold the mystery Some Teach but Live not Truths usurping part Shining not burning of the Glow-worms Art But this was onely his mistake He was much more then what he spake Experience was the mistress of his Art He spake not from the lips but from the heart The rise of many was his fall A Form of words Traditional Such fallings Consummations call we may So morning twi-light falls into the day His stars did shrink into their skies When Sun in him did once arise A State Religion counsels Synods stamp Which yet admits of a far higher vamp Riddles Believe it he that can The Word of God made so by man Thus bankrupts vouch their credit by Record Their obligations pass but his bare word No forraign teacher by him used Light not acquired but infused And yet how commonly such borrowed fire Obtruded is as of divine inspire What He presented to our sight Did sparkle from the Fountain light The all-inditing Spirit did him fill That scorns the Rival of a second quill Till grown in Notions pure so ripe He did resolve into the Type The Road-Religion doth it self maintain By partnership in worldly pomp and gain For Rivers can no higher grow Then to the Fountains whence they flow But his Religion was in Mysterie And in his breast did contradictions lie His life was unto Christ to dye His Glory flesh to Crucifie Dulness in him did cut we did espie In his rude plainness a bright majesty His spirit pure his Notions choyce Judged by matter not by voyce How sweetly was he ravish'd 'bove the life Of the Scripturian and the Letter strife Where water-Baptism that should quench Is made the ground of difference Fire was his Baptism and his common food Not signs but very body very blood Thus had in him each Sacrament Its true and genuine intent His middle Doctrine by Gods sacred Clue Did cut betwixt extreams of either hue Legal profession here doth stand Seraphick looseness on that hand This th'high-born spirit labours to depress That sets it out in the most careless dress 'Twixt both Our VVatchman did descry The Spirits Bounds and Liberty He steer'd an even course in numerous throng Chaining attentive Hearers to his tongue Soft showrs did fall in 's dropping words Yet quick as lightning sharp as swords His Doctrine so proportion'd limb by limb Truth was not Thrown in but Laid up in him Yet 's Method was the meanest thing Matter was Jewel of the Ring His soul was lifted up 'bove common track Of Themes and Systemes True Religions wrack Thus set he pitties common crew Which yet put in for Preachers too When grosser bodies judg'd by bulk not merit Are by skill'd hand Alembick'd into spirit The dregs and bulk flye not from hence 'T is but a Dram mounts Quintessence This Dram was He Scruple Iota tryed In every Dispensation rarified Till his pure soul did glories vye With th'oneness of the single eye His first fruits did to Law and Sinai tend Which to some Preachers is their journeys end No marvail he out-did their worth He gain'd half way at setting forth His second step more glorious was and better Knowledge of Gospel truths but in the letter Yet this gave not a lasting rest 'T was Moses vail'd with th' name of Christ For where the Legal spirit rules in Might There 's little diff'rence 'twixt the'xternal rite Whether that Baptism doth obtain Or Circumcision still remain In 's third appearance and most glorious scene Were naked glories and perfections seen Truths not yet owned to their merit Gospel-knowledge in the Spirit Who can this blessed state with that compare Where Sinai's thundrings and Laws threatnings are Where Selfe and worldly interest Goes half Religion with the best But his pure soul wandring in boundless sense Delighted Hearers with rich Eloquence Whilst he discovered unto them The light of new Jerusalem Here sublimated souls joyned in one By Divine Unction mount and grasp the Throne Thrice happy soul for here it findes What others seek in Marks and Signes Yet here short-sighted zeal by illustrious ray Is strook quite blinde and gropes though at Noon-day And in its rage at truths past ken Takes men for trees and trees for men Hence 't was Goads Doctrines most Seraphical Mistaken judgements counted notional Thus zeale boyld up 'bove due degree Proves poyson and not remedy But he 's translated by discerning Fate Beyond the hand of Envy reach of Hate Whence he bequeaths this Legacie to All May on their spirits his rich Mantle fall Blest soul thou' art fixt and at thy rest Whilst we with Gog Magog contest Yet sweet to us shall Sufferings be Since they can but Bring us to Thee To the memory of Mr. Goad on the Publication of his Excellent SERMONS THat soul is upward flown whose rays so bright Through a Clay-prison did send forth their light The want of such a guide we drooping bear Here clouded in a dusky Hemisphere For a more ample Orb this Sun requir'd Whose heavenly breathings sweetly once inspir'd Our lesser fires and darted forth a flame From which at once both heat and light there came Divine Creator-like 't was he that gave To pictures life now shadows substance have How pure and how refin'd the spirits were This Heaven-taught Chymist did extract when here Below he wrought from his full soul there came Such sweet resultances so clear a flame As melted preaching from its grosser Oar In place of Form we had the Spirit and Power The pith and kernel for the Bark and we Into that body of Divinity That 's in the world so must discour'st of finde Infus'd by him the soul and purer minde When on his Sermons we but cast our eye And in so plain a dress such beauty spie A native splendour which not tincture'd is With skill or art we can experience this That treasures in an earthen vessel lie And we a burning shining light descrie In Camels hair attir'd How did the fine And brighter Colours in his preaching shine Which were not subt'ly woven with a shade Of Self-applause and yet they were not made All rude and unprepar'd for we did finde In that plain garment Majesty inshrin'd Such was his Doctrine such his life that we Saw not a loose but Christian Liberty In all its parts exactly by the Law That Spirit that keeps even Libertines in aw Of his own compass steer'd for as he taught The life of God he up to it was wrought Immortal Goad let this thy Motto be Thou
di'dst both preach and live Divinitie J. N. THE Right Spirit of CHRIST OR The Son glorifying the Father SERMON I. JOHN 5. 30. I can of my own self do nothing as I hear I judge and my judgement is just because I seek not my own will but the will of the Father that hath sent me CHrist had marvellously cured a Cripple that had been so thirty eight yeers as we may see in the fifth verse of this chapter and setting him on his feet he bids him take up his bed and walk The Jews that stood by because it was the Sabbath day said it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed He tells them that he that made him whole bid him take up his bed and walk by whom judge you should this man be guided by him that shewed power or them that talked The Kingdom of God is not in word but in power they ask who this man was that bid him do so for He is a Sabboth-breaker and must be stoned Doct. 1. See how forms of Religion are set up against power Yet here was nothing against form for what was this carrying his bed but preaching the love and power of God Christ discovers himself to the man cured of his limbs to a through cure of him Sin no more A cure indeed the man tells the Jews who it was that cured him whereupon Christ reasoneth with the Jews justifying what he had done vers 17. My father works and I work as if he had said in charging me you charge my Father his power and presence is manifested with me if you will see it They strove so much the more to kill him in that he said God was his Father Doct. 2. Carnal and formal Religion is bloody nothing will serve but killing Those that are born after the flesh do not know what it is to be born after the Spirit That which is the substance of Christian Religion is to them blasphemy Christ is pleading with them and tells them how the Father doth manifest himself by the Son and onely by the Son He had now manifested himself in a great work and they would take no notice of it they take notice onely of a Sabboth-breaker and a blasphemer there shall be such a manifestation of the Father in the Son as shall make you marvel the Father hath given him power to raise the dead and judge the world and as the Father hath life in himself so he hath given unto the Son to have life in himself and he hath given him authority to execute judgement Christ hath all that the Father hath onely here is the difference He hath it as gift it is given him Now to prevent that which they might object and say You take too much upon you Christ answers it in vers 30. I can of my own self do nothing as I hear I judge and my judgement is just c. I told you the son hath life in himself and that he raiseth the dead and hath power of judgement But I told you withal it was given him I can of my self do nothing c. My design in presenting you with this Text is to shew unto those that do believe in Christ what they have in Christ and to shew them whence it is and whence their witness and testimony is for that they have whence it is they are owned in that power and Majesty The power of the Resurrection is Christs and the power of judgement is Christs and Christ witnesseth that it is his from whom he received this power I can of my own self do nothing and if I bear witness of my self my witness is not true All that Religion and godliness that is not in power and all that power that is earthly and that testimony thereunto that is worldly is worth nothing Christ undertakes great things he challengeth power to raise the dead Authority of judgement and this is all given him from the Father his Record is on high his witness is the Father Here are many testimonies named but he looks above them all here is his own witness If I bear witness of my self my witness is not true There is mans witness I receive not witness from man there is the witness of the eminent and excellent among men but he lays them by and looks above them all to God Here is the witness of John who was a burning and a shining light In the 46. verse There is an other witness Moses If you had believed Moses you would have believed me for he wrote of me But there is another witness a greater then that of John or Moses ver 36. The works which the Father hath given me to finish bear witness of me Works are an excellent witness but the works which the Father hath given me they are excellent indeed yet are laid by These are not sufficient for they must have a testimony themselves and therefore are laid by Here is the Scripture vers 39. Search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal life and they are they which testifie of me He lays by this witness too ye will not come to me that you might have life The Scripture holds forth me and eternal life in me but ye will not come to me Thus here are several degrees of testimony one above the other but there is but one to be rested in and that is the testimony that enables all the other the testimony of the Father Ver. 32. There is another that beareth witness of me and I know the witness that he witnesseth of me is true Who is that Vers 37. The Father himself that hath sent me hath born witness of me Is not the Fathers witness in the Scripture and in Christs witness and in Johns witness and in the Works of Christ It is and as the Fathers witness is there they are witnesses that have validity they make an end of the controversie The Father not appearing in them they cannot settle the heart nor decide the controversie It is the Father onely that is the sufficient witness the Father without these the Father in these but these without the Father are nothing The truth of these is the Father the life of these is the Father And the world doth not know the Father Vers 37. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time nor seen his shape My design in this Scripture is to call you up to the Father And this is the design of Christ that he travels with to bring us unto God he suffered the just for the unjust to bring us unto God Here is rest and nowhere on this side it the Scripture in the Father and the Father in the Scripture the Father in the Ministry of man and the Ministery of man in the Father the Father in the works that are done and the works done in the Father we must know the Father if we will know Christ It is true we may know the Father and not know that we know the Father
sufferings if that by any means I might attain to the resurrection of the dead mans light is darkness and his wisdom is enmity The great lesson of the Gospel is self-denyal the state that the Gospel calls us unto is the state of the Resurrection it is a going out of the flesh into the spirit The business of the Gospel is not to save our selves but to lose our selves and in losing our selves we shall save our selves This is a riddle and a mystery and they that know not a spiritual life the life of God know not what to make of it I do not my own will and I know my judgement is just because I do not my own will but the will of him that sent me Let every one that professeth the Gospel consider whether he walks by this rule whether he seeks righteousness by going out of himself into Christ or whether he seeks it in himself whether he seeks it in a new creature whether he looks for the new creature that is born of God and brought forth in his Image which is righteousness and true holiness and not counterfeit There is counterfeit holiness counterfeit righteousness the righteousness of man the holiness of man is abominable and filthy in the sight of God I beseech you saith Paul that ye would not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind Rom. 12. He that will be my Disciple let him deny himself You that seek Christ you wait to purpose in the Gospel and you that have Christ you have the Gospel which is the light and life and glory of God Do not rest in a bare profession nor in mans righteousness nor in some poor outward reformation Do not rest in repairing and beautifying old Adam Christ came from God and we are going to God Let us see our estate in Christ For we are chosen in him and we are of him And he is made of God our wisdom c. It is a vain thing to go about the work of repairing to build Jerico to be patching and peicing an old garment to put old wine into new bottels You will but make rents and breaches Adam was only a shadow and type of that which was to come Look after the new man who shall make straight that which is crooked and supply that which is wanting give up your selves to the spiritual man the second man who is the Lord from heaven Be making towards the fellowship of his sufferings and labor to attain the Resurrection from the dead Make to Christ as he is the Resurrection He is righteous indeed that is righteous before God none shall be owned righteous but he his name shall be called the Lord our Righteousness To walk in our own reason and our own light and wisdom to follow mans will and consult with flesh and blood may be applauded by man but we shall have the portion of fools and wicked ones from the Lord Were it not better to be a fool and a wonder and a gazing stock to men then to be abhorred of God We must go forth without the gate bearing our reproach How can it be otherwise but he that hath laid by his own Reason and Will and professeth he is born of God and that God alone shall be his guide shall be accounted a fool and a mad man and out of his witts It is very hard to be sober to God but we must be mad to men I come to the witness the testimony in ver 31. If I bear witness of my self my witness is not true Here is a witness that is received as insufficient There is no witness authentick but the Father He doth not witness of himself nor do of himself and yet he doth do of himself he hath life in himself and he witnesseth of himself and his witness is true If this be a contradiction it is a Scripture contradiction See Joh. 8. 14. Will you say its a Scripture contradiction The Scripture is a contradiction and nonsense to those that judge after the flesh You will not say it of the Scripture but you will say it of them that preach Scripture that they speak contradiction ver 16. Yet if I judge my judgement is true Why For I am not alone but I and the Father that sent me are one If I were alone my witness were not true but the Father and I being one without contradiction the judgement is true Object But how can this be that Christ witnessing of himself his witness should not be true without controversie man witnessing of himself his witness is not true because he is sinfull But Christ was pure there was no guile found in his mouth To this I answer Though he was a pure and a spotless creature yet he had weakness in him and ignorance in him It is said he grew in stature and knowledge Christ never witnessed any thing but what was true but he never brought forth the full truth He was to bring forth himself in his body in a higher way in greater power then he appeared in the flesh He that believes in me greater works shall he do then I do because I go to the Father There are two things required in a witness faithfullness and knowledge There wanted nothing of faithfulness there wanted of knowledge in Christ he grew in knowledge Christ in us doth know all things Therefore be not cast down though thou doest not yet know all things Upon this account it is that John takes off the new man and the spiritual man from sinking into sorrow upon the judgement he passeth on himself He that is in thee is greater then thy heart and knows all things Judge nothing before the time till the Lord come and if Christ in that pure nature was not ripe to pass a judgement wonder not that we cannot do it in this corrupt nature I bear not witness of my self saith Christ I judge not my own self he that judgeth me is the Lord saith Paul If I bear witness of my self my witness is not truth There is an other that bears witness and I know his witness is true And who is this other It is the Father ver 37. The Father himself that hath sent me he beareth witness of me Christ lays by all testimony but this The fathers and all testimony except the Father be in it to give us settlement and assurance fall short For none knows the Son but the Father and he to whom the Father reveals him Thou art Christ the Son of the living God Blessed art thou Simon flesh and blood hath not revealed this to thee but my Father He that establisheth you together with us is God There are three witnesses and these are one the Father and the Son and the Spirit And there is nothing more concerns those that profess to know Jesus Christ then to examine how they came to know him whether they have had this knowledge by the teaching of the Father The baptism of Iohn is
do in a Saint What doth hell in a Church Deliver him to Satan let Satan go to destruction it is his place it is his portion Thus spiritual mourning or the spirits mourning is that which brings forth the spirits power and this sets the soul free and sets a Church free Now we should look what we can finde of this mourning this mourning for sin this mourning after the Lord. This is not in flesh and blood to do All the mourning of flesh and blood is that sin may be supplyed All the prayers of a natural man are that his lusts may be furnished all his mourning and complaint is when sin suffers when godliness plays upon sin then he cries then he mourns The spiritual man mourns after the Lord as 't is said of the children of Israel they mourned after the Lord. The natural man mourns for Corn and Wine and Oyl The Lord speaks in the Prophesie of Hosea of the howling of the people Did you cry to me when you howled for Corn and Wine and Oyle But that which is the main thing to be observed here is that no power or wisdom of man or any company of men any Church any Rulers any Elders can set a heart free from sin or can cleer their Congregations from sin 't is God that must do it and therefore the Apostle saith Ye have not rather mourned that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you When that evil is seen in your hearts and in your Churches what are you to do know that you cannot deliver your selves you are to mourn until it be done for you you are to lament after the Lord. O that the Lord would come that power would come that he that is great stronger then the strong man that he would come We are to wait for the assistance of Jesus Christ Here the Apostle speaks of mourning You have not mourned as you should do you should mourn after the Lord that he would quit you of this sin that he would rescue you in the fourth verse it is plainly set forth In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ when ye are gathered together and my spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ It is not your power it is not mans power that shall rid you of the wicked one among you in your hearts or in your Congregations but 't is the Lord that must do it and therefore you must mourn after the Lord. If you be of God you will mourn after him and you will never be quiet until his power do come down to rescue you and deliver you This mourning that you may be eased of the wicked one shews that it is not in your power In the ninth of Mark Christ went up into a mountain where he was transfigured he took up one or two of his Disciples with him and the rest he left below vers 14. these Disciples left below were set upon by the Pharisees and that Sect to tempt them and to try them that if it might be they might have a victory over them a day of them now their master was away They bring to them a Father with his child that was possessed with an evil spirit that used him and handled him piteously that threw him sometimes into the fire and sometimes into the water but the Disciples were not able to cast him out here was great joy and rejoycing among the Pharisees the Pharisees thought they had had the day As they were exulting and baffling the Disciples Christ he comes down from the Mountain when he comes down he is told what the business is vers 17. O faithless generation saith Christ how low shall I be with you bring him to me and he cast him out In this story we may see how ridiculous we shall make ourselves when we offer to set upon Satan or deal with sin when we have not the Lord Jesus with us we make but sport for the Devil and sport for the world There is no going forth but in the power of Christ Dost thou see sin Canst thou go forth in the power of Christ against it If thou canst not sit down and mourn till that spirit come till that power come Sin and Satan are too strong for man and if we deal with them without God we do nothing but endeavour by sin to cast out sin and by Satan to cast out Satan To undertake any thing against sin and have not the Lord with us is altogether in vain therefore Moses saith Vnless thou go forth with us do not carry us out hence To go forth in mans power in the power of a letter of the Scripture only it is not safe God will not be offended with us if we will not go forth without full assurance of his presence with us If he give us some assurance we should desire to have better assurance It is the power of God in which we must go out against sin successfully We shall never have rest from sin and Satan till we cease from our own works There is no going forth against sin but in the power of Christ You ought rather to have mourned that he which hath done this deed might be taken away from among you Look upon hearts look upon Churches they are both the Temple of God the House of God let God rule in his own house he hath the power there The Reformation of our own hearts and of Churches it is by the power of the spirit of God It is not in man to direct his ways Man is weak he is corrupt man and Satan in this respect are one Now the question will be If there be no going forth against sin but in the power of the spirit where is this power that reforms Congregations where is this Ministery of the Spirit where are these spiritual weapons mighty through God to cast down high thoughts and strong imaginations The Answer is It is confessed that the power of the spirit of God hath been and is yet very little abroad and therefore we see men go forth against sin and Satan and effect nothing they make nothing but sport There is little savour of life or savour of death to be seen in the Ministery of men little binding or loosing little opening heaven or shutting heaven very little forgiving sins or retaining sins in mens Consciences we know very little but a noise and a form in these things Most men that take upon them to do this they are put to it because of the weakness of their Ministery whatever brags they make to go to the civil Magistrate to back them This same power of the Lord Jesus whereby sin and Satan are thrown out of mens hearts is now but in a very low manifestation and very rarely appears But what is to be done then Not that that is usually done we must not go out as vaunting that we have that which we have not as pretending the spirit and the power of Christ with us
Apostle to do to judge He was neither Officer nor member of that Congregation To this we have to say that the Apostles were members and Officers of every Congregation in every Church The Apostle Paul was the Minister of the Gentiles the Apostle of the Gentiles of the Gentile Church the Apostle Paul went forth in the spirit and the spirit hath power in every Church in every Congregation The Apostle went forth in the power of Christ and every Church shall bow to him he is their King he is their Lord and all the Churches if they be true Churches they are one body and that Church or Congregation gathered that doth divide Christ and shut up it self from other Saints and from the General Assembly is so far forth an Antichristian Church That particular Assembly that doth not own the universal Assembly and the general Assembly the Apostle speaks of in Heb. 12. is so far forth Antichristian That Church which is nothing but form that hath no power of God in it manifested in the Conscience against spiritual wickedness that Church which doth not own all Saints under any form that Church so far forth is not of Christ the Church of Christ owns all forms and all Saints The Apostle had to do here for the spirit hath to do every where the spirit is free he comes forth in the spirit to whomsoever he comes forth he shall be owned he comes forth in power he comes forth either to life or to death he comes not forth in vain This for the Apostles right if any say What had he to do here Obj. But the Apostle is absent how could he judge he hears a report 'T is commonly reported but common report is a horrible lyer the devil is the Prince of the Ayre and he is in it Every man makes his report according to his humor it gathers still is changed still is transformed still We have experience hereof dayly how then could the Apostle judge I saith he have judged already Sol. Why he gives an account of that in these words absent in body but present in spirit When we are more in the spirit we shall be better able to understand and explain what this presence in spirit is When we are not so much in the body as we are when the body is not so much our home but we are more in the Lord and the Lord is more our home we shall be able to pronounce what this is to be present in spirit But a little now according to that we have received present and absent absent in body present in spirit We have the same speech 2 Col. 5. Absent in body present in spirit joying and beholding your order c. Well what is it to be present in spirit A natural man will interpret it according to his measure and his line and will not suffer it to be extended further then this he thought of them or he was with them in thought he knows no other presence of spirit then this and will allow no more And so we interpret all the matters of God according to our comprehension we make that our standard But the spiritual man goes further He that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit The Apostle was present with the Lord who is everywhere In communion with the Lord he was there and did see and so did judge As in that place Elisha saith to his servant Gehazi 2 King 5. 26. Went not my spirit with thee when the man turned back again to thee He that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit Elisha he saw in the Lord it was not onely his thoughts went with Gehazi but he was present with him in spirit and saw what he did and told him what he did Went not my heart with thee when the man turned to meet thee saith he is it a time to receive mony and to receive garments and Olive-yards and Vineyards I in them and they in me saith Christ in John 17. that they may be perfect in One. God takes up his Saints into his own omnisciencie and clouds himself in his peoples weakness and ignorance There is a Union between God and his people God in them and they in him through this Union they see as God doth and through this Union God he sees as they do Here Paul sees as Elisha doth that which is distant from his body his body is absent but he is present in spirit There is the spirit that sees all knows all Yet as to the Vnion which he is in with us he is ignorant and he hears and hearkens and lisps and speaks as he is taught Joh. 16. 13. When the spirit of truth is come he will guide you into all truth for he shall not speak of himself He that is of himself shall not speak of himself the eternal truth the everlasting God that is of himself shall not speak of himself Whatever he shall hear that he shall speak He that teacheth you shall hearken in you learn in you be as you Here is the condiscending of the spirit of truth so that Scripture is not to be interpreted or explained but by that mystery of union which is a mystery the world doth not know cannot understand He that knows all things so condescends that in that union with us he knows nothing and learns with us and by that union with him we are lifted up into his Omnisciency We in his light are present in spirit when we are absent in body Thus God is in Christ and is made sin for us that we may be made the righteousness of God in him we in his strength he in our weakness Reject this and reject Scripture The Apostle here he sees and he judges in the Lord he is absent and yet he judges Doth the Apostle go upon common fame He is but a fool that does so there is no wise man would do it But he is present in spirit and through that spirit by which he was present he had a capacity to judge Being present in spirit saith he I have seen and judged alread God comes down into our confinement and he lifts us up into his enlargement And take notice of it here are some hints of it here in one that had the first fruits of the spirit how that God will bring forth his Omnisciency his wisdom and his power in his Saints and people God hath chosen his people to his own kingdom and glory The glory thou hast given me I have given them saith Christ in the seventeenth of John God will bring forth his Omnisciency and his Omnipotency in his people in believers The Apostle describes his coming 2 Thes 1. viz. to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired in all them that do believe Where do you look for him You look up that he should come in the clouds He comes in the clouds indeed he comes in the flesh of his Saints a despised people a reproached people he is covered in their weakness
but he will swallow up their weakness in his glory and here he will exercise his Omnisciency here he will exercise his Omnipotency Do you not know that the Saints shall judge the world saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 7. 2. Reject this and reject Scripture as I said before By this union between God and the Saints and Gods manifesting himself in his Saints exercising his kingdom exercising his universal Judicature in them the Saints shall judge the world Do ye not know that ye shall judge the world and judge Angels There is no right judge but the Lord and there is no man that is fit to judge till the Lord be risen in him The spiritual man judgeth all things so far forth as he is spiritual he judgeeth all things so far forth as he is carnal he is not fit to judge any thing The carnal judgement condemns the Spirit passes judgement upon God rejects God The Saints are growing up into the Omnisciency and Omnipotency of God God is now despised in them but God shall be glorified in them God bears their weakness but they shall be cloathed upon with his power Christ is in every Saint and the Father hath committed all judgement unto him who doth not judge by the sight of the eye or the hearing of the ear Isa 11. 4. So Paul did not judge now by the sight of the eye or hearing of the ear that is bodily he neither went by common fame neither did his bodily presence help him to discern the business but he was present in spirit and in the light of God in the wisdom of God in the power of God he did see and did judge I already have judged though absent in body yet present in spirit There is no true judgement that passes upon mens Consciences but by the spirit Men that can only judge by the outward appearance can never judge righteous judgement you cannot judge righteous judgement till you are led within the vail till you see principles till you not onely see what is done but see upon what grounds it is done till you see the root of the matter The Apostle cares not for mans judgement He that judgeth me saith he is the Lord. All the people of God they are Princes they are Kings God hath called us to his own kingdom and to his own glory as the Apostle hath it And therefore Rev. 3. 12. it is said I will write upon them the Name of my God and the name of the City of my God and I will write upon them my new name so God will bring forth his glory in his people Paul expressing what he hath done he calls unto the whole Church to joyn with him and assures them they shal have his assistance his assistance and the power of the Lord Jesus When you are gathered together and my spirit with the power of the Lord Jesus Do you judge as I have done The power of the Lord Jesus will lead you to it and you shall come forth in that power actually to deliver him to Satan You see by the effects this was not bare words this was not a bug-bear But that is it we see in Churches and Congregations among us that take upon them this it hath no effect no power And therefore if they have to deal with a Saint he pities them is sorry for them wishes they had more light if with one that is not a Saint he jeers them he scorns them But here is reality this Incestuous person felt hell in his Conscience saw he was in the power of the devil he was even swallowed up with sorrow Therefore the Apostle calls upon them to relieve him and this is to save him q d. look now if the flesh be destroyed then bring out the spirit and comfort him you ought to relieve him Here you see the power of the Lord Jesus he commands hell and death he commands Satan Take that that is thine and then give up that thou hast nothing to do withal Destroy the flesh deliver up the spirit This makes sport for wicked men to come out with thundring and lightning in the absence of power This should set us to mourn for the spirit How little is the manifestation of the spirit in our own Consciences How much less can we manifest it to others It is then time for us to mourn after the Lord. And if we were come to mourn after him we should soon come to rejoyce with him and make our boast of him SERMON III. 1 COR. 5. 1 2 3 4 5. It is reported commonly c. IN the name of our Lord Jesus Christ when you are gathered together and my spirit with the power of the Lord Jesus Christ to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Iesus In the name of the Lord Jesus and with the power of our Lord Iesus This is no vain or idle repetition all business of this nature is done only by the name and the power of Jesus Christ But if you please to make some difference take it thus In the name of the Lord Iesus Christ that is owning the Lord Christ professing him calling upon him Wih the pwer of the Lord Iesus Christ that is let not there be a bare mention of him but let there be the power In the power of our Lord Iesus There is much mention of the name of Christ among us taking upon us great things by that name when it is but taking it in vain where no power appears In the name of our Lord Iesus Christ when you are gathered together and my spirit What 's this same spirit of Paul That by which he was present as he said before I am present with you in spirit This I look upon as the Divine nature which Paul did partake of the spiritual man born of God in which God doth act God guides and acts his people in this spiritual man flesh is acted by Satan there is the power of Satan and Hell but here is the power of the Lord Jesus in Spirit My spirit that 's the seat of God in a Saint And my spirit with the power of the Lord Iesus Christ to deliver such a one unto Satan there is the Sentence and Judgement But before we come to that I shall observe two or three things In the name of our Lord Iesus Christ c. First There is no dealing in the Consciences of men neither our own nor others against sin and Satan when they shew their power there in the power and wisdom of man unless we go forth in the power of the Lord Jesus Christ it is to no purpose T is only the power of the Lord Jesus Christ that delivers the Consciences and Hearts of men fron sin and Satan therefore the Apostle saith Iudge nothing before the time till the Lord come Saul was not to fight with the Philistims till Samuel came To go forth against
sin when the Lord is not with us it hath this issue nothing but foiling nothing but scorning nothing but reproach and shame With the power of the Lord Iesus To mention the name of the Lord Jesus and not to have the power of the Lord Jesus is nothing but prophaning that name taking it in vain 'T is nothing but a bug-bear All mans power it is on the body it is not on the Conscience It is impossible man should deliver himself or his brother from one error from one sin all that he can do is to restrain and lock up sin all that man can do in matter of error and sin is to bring forth Hypocrisie It is Gods prerogative to fashion hearts and to know hearts Psal 13. He fashioneth their hearts alike and understandeth all their thoughts And this is that God will make all the Churches to know Rev. 2. the latter end All the Churches shall know that I the Lord search the heart and try the reines If the Churches go forth with Carnal weapons to deal with the Devil and sin in their own power they shall know that this is the Lords prerogative It is only he that searches hearts and tries reines They shall find they have done nothing whatever they have seemed to themselves to have done They shall find they have confirmed and settled the Devil in his habitation while they have seemed to throw him out I have the keyes saith Christ of Hell and of death The keys are the power the power of man is not able to conflict with Sathan and Hell Christ hath received all power in Heaven and Earth And Christ manifested in us we shall go forth against principalities and powers and against the Rulers of the darkness of this world with the power of the Lord Jesus The weapons of our warfare are not carnal saith the Apostle but mighty through God The new Testament is the Ministry of the Spirit and so t is an able Ministry God hath made us able Ministers of the new Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit Letter and man and noise of words could never yet scare the Devil This we spake of before taking occasion from the Apostle calling the Corinthians to mourn which doth tell us they had no power of themselves 'T is a professing they had no power We cannot rid our Consciences or Congregations of sin But if we wait power will come in And when we once come out of this delusion of the Devil to see we have no power to see how the Spirit of power hath withdrawn from us and hath been absent a long while we shall begin to mourn after him and he will visit us and then we shall know what power is again We shall know what the Kingdom of God is that is not in word but in power We have hitherto known little of any Kingdom but in word When once we are sensible of this want of power and of this withdrawing of God that the man of sin might be revealed we shall mourn after him till he turn to us again 'T is by the power of the Lord Jesus only This is allowed and granted everywhere as a principle but how little do we act according to our Principles The Spirit of God only can throw out error and sin this is granted But the will of man and the actings of man this shall be called the Spirit of God The pride of man comes forth which is nothing but the Devil the name of the Lord Jesus that is put upon it To walk and act according to that Principle the Spirit of God Not we but the grace of God We live not but Christ in us 'T is looked upon as that which tends to confusion as that which lays by all mans gifts Object 'T is said then what will ye throw off your Ministers your Teachers Sol. The Apostle saith We have but one Master but one teacher that is Christ that is the Spirit Ye have the annointing that teaches you all things and need not any mans teaching 'T is not mans teaching we look after now if we understand ourselves but we look if we can find the name of God the power of God in the speakings of men God holds forth his anointing in man gives us a proof of Christ in man But take mans Ministry and all Ordinances if the Spirit be not there if the anointing be not there they are of man they are nothing So you see it is the power of the Lord Jesus only that rids Consciences and Congregations from sin In the name of the Lord Iesus when you are gathered together with my spirit and the power of the Lord Iesus In the second place take notice of this That the Lord Jesus and his power is in all Saints as well as in Ministers The Apostles Spirit joynes with them when they are gathered together The whole Church men and women the simplest as well as the wisest the weakest as well as the strongest with the power of the Lord Jesus The power of the Lord Jesus goes with you if you censure him and therefore my Spirit shall be with you In the name c. So the power of the Lord Jesus is in every Saint acts there and manifests it self there at the pleasure of the Lord Jesus It is the Spirit that makes Ministers and those Ministers that are made by the Spirit do minister the Spirit And that is ministring the Gospel when we Minister the Spirit But if we have only the Letter of the Gospel we have that that is no better then the Law If we be able Ministers of the New Testament it is in the Spirit I am a Minister of the New Testament so far as the Spirit speaks in me and by me and I would not be owned any further And all my work is to prove if the Spirit of God will go forth into any heart while I speak I know that Paul is nothing and Apollo is nothing If we be a sweet Savour of Christ then we are something In whomsoever the spirit stands up and speaks that person for that time is a Minister a true Minister The Spirit doth not regard Sexes the Spirit regards not Age Learned or unlearned 'T is not Age nor Sex nor any Major part can Minister Spirit but whom the Spirit pleases Obj. The Spirit will not teach by a woman For it is said let not a woman speak in the Church Sol. Where the Spirit doth not teach 't is but a womans teaching So far as we speak and speak not by the Spirit the woman speaks who is commanded silence And my Spirit with the power of the Lord Jesus The Apostles Spirit would own the meanest of the Saints and the power of the Lord Jesus in them There are in whom the Spirit acts and Ministers more constantly and there are in whom he doth Minister occasionally there are whom the Spirit of God hath made Overseers Acts 20. Look to the flock over which the
my spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ Wheresoever the power of the Lord Jesus goes let it be with babes and sucklings there shall the Apostles Spirit go let their appearance be what it will in the world And the power of our Lord Jesus The power of the Lord Jesus it is or it shall be manifested among his people in their communion and in their gatherings together The power of the Lord Jesus it is but O how dark is it yet It shall be gloriously manifested in the Assemblies of his Saints in their gatherings together When ye are gathered together The people shall say Come let 's go up to the house of the Lord for the Law shall go out of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem Isa 2. 3. What is Zion and Jerusalem but the Assemblies of the Saints And upon all the Assemblies of Mount Zion there shall be a pillar of fire and a pillar of smoak Isa 7. Where two or three are gathered together in my Name there am I in the midst of them What to do but to binde and loose to open and shut and gather my people together When the spirit came down upon the Disciples after Christs Ascension it was in their convening when they were assembled together for Christ charged them there to wait and they should receive power When they are together they are a body of living stones built up an holy Temple they are members apart altogether the body and the fulness of Christ and all the Saints have one life and one soul every joynt supplieth according to the effectual working of the measure of every part as the Apostle hath it Eph. 4. 16. Q. And what is this gathering together where the power of the Lord Jesus comes forth A. The main is in the spirit with my spirit saith the Apostle in the name of the Lord Jesus when ye are gathered together and my spirit The gathering together of spirits I do not say without bodies but this is the main the spirit is that which is born of God that which God acts whom I serve in my spirit 't is the new man flesh the devil acts and corrupt principles the devil acts there are gatherings together in that there are gatherings together where the power of Satan is it is a pittiful thing to get into a Church gathering and there sit down now I may be at rest and ease but this is a gathering in spirit in the unity of the spirit This is a gathering in him and to him and in this gathering a waiting for him no man shall be heard no man shall be Lord there is but one Master one Lord one King one guide and here we are together waiting what he will say it is no matter what this man says or that man saith Doth Christ speak in him We look for the demonstration of the spirit 't is no matter what this man saith or the other man saith We wait for power and evidence for God to go before us in a pillar of smoak and in a pillar of fire 'T is a spirit-gathering where the power of the Lord Jesus is There is a flesh-gathering a formal-gathering which is nothing but a cover of Satan a cover of the devil When ye are gathered together and my spirit with the power of the Lord Jesus a gathering together in the unity of the spirit and this unity of the spirit doth not regard form it joyns with all Saints whatsoever in spirit under what form soever and this is a particular Assembly in reference to the General Assembly God is their Judge it is a gathering together of those that have made a Covenant by sacrifice as it is in Psa 50. They have given up themselves to the Lord they will be only guided by him They know what man is here goeth the power of the Lord Jesus with such gatherings O that we could finde such and see such we should soon see the power of the Lord Iesus If we have fellowship one with another the blood of Christ cleanses us It is this fellowship that hath power in it cleansing in it such gatherings as are in the power of God and such gatherings as wait for the power of God such gatherings where man lays himself down we wait what the Lord will say we will not stir without the spirit It is not a letter shall guide us nor a man shall guide us but the Lord. SERMON IV. 1 COR. 5. 1 2 3 4 5. It is reported commonly c. V 5. TO deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus It is the Apostles direction unto a gathered Church how to quit themselves of one that had done a foul fact of the evil one among them to deliver themselves from that evil and to save the person In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ when ye are gathered together and my spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ to deliver such a one c. 1. 'T is onely in the power of the Lord Jesus that any Churches or Consciences are delivered from guilt it is not in the power and wisdom of man 2. And this power Christ will manifest in all believers in all his people in all his Saints he comes with all his Saints as well as Ministers The Apostles spirit joyns with them and my spirit saith he in the power of the Lord Jesus 3. And the power of the Lord Jesus whenever it shall be manifested will be especially made out in the gatherings of Saints when they are gathered in spirit A flesh-gathering is when we have the power of the devil with us But to these words in ver 5. To deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh To destroy the evil principle and to save the person here 's a way which the world doth not know when the world sees sin it thinks of the destroying the person therefore it goes forth in the evil principle against the person Here 's a way now to destroy the evil and save the person the spirit of God onely can teach us this t is the power of the Lord Jesus Here is the means that is to be used delivering unto Satan and the end of that means that the flesh may be destroyed and the spirit saved And here is that that doth destroy flesh and save the spirit and that is the day of the Lord Jesus The manifestation of the Lord Jesus in the day of his power by the power of the Lord Jesus deliver such a one to Satan Satan is the enemy of God he dwells in wrath he dwells in fire Deliver him unto him Into that wrath and into that fire cast him into those flames there let him fry Where Satan is destroying there let Satan be destroyed that is in him and let the Saint come forth Deliver him unto Satan for the destruction of the
end of flesh And it must needs be this and nothing else because every Saint while he lives in the flesh is bewitched 'T is the Scriprure expression O foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you It is a being born again you cannot see the kingdom of God except you be born again I conclude with this See how it concerns us to wait for the Ministery of the spirit and that is it we should look for in all these meetings and Assemblies Look to meet with the power of the Lord Iesus Satan would deceive us by the knowledge of the letter of the creature we may have a great deal of knowledge and be puffed up with pride and be delivered up to Satan when we have done We should admit of that distinction Letter and Spirit Man and God not that we divide between these but in Man and in Letter look for the Spirit and God The life was manifested we saw it our eyes looked upon it and our hands handled it The discovery of Hell is the destruction of Death and Hell by the power of the Lord Iesus deliver such a one to Satan c. A PARAPHRASE upon the seventeenth of the ACTS ACTS 17. ver 1. Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia they came to Thessalonica where was a Synagogue of the Iews HEre is the entertainment that the Apostles being Messengers and Ministers of the Spirit had in the world They came to Thessalonica they had passed thorow some places without making any proffer of the Grace of God at Thessalonica there they tarry There was a Synagogue of the Iews The Jews were now scattered from their own place and instead of a Temple and other Ordinances they were content with a Synagogue It was very much like our state now under Antichrist in the rime of the Apostacy There was a Synagogue of the Jews Pauls heart exceedingly went out towards his brethren after the flesh if he might save some of them and yet wheresoever he offered himself to them in that way they were seeking his life and his blood but still he found a number that were of the Election of Grace who did receive Grace though the rest were blinded Verse 2. And Paul as his manner was went in unto them and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures These Jews had Learning and Knowledge in the Scriptures meerly to oppose the truth the power and the life of the Scriptures Here they hold Paul play in reasoning and disputing Paul holds up Christ out of the Scriptures the Jews they dispute against Christ by the Scriptures and this is that that all the learning of man doth all his knowledge in the Scriptures doth but serve him to oppose the Spirit The greater knowledge in the Scriptures and the more learning if it be only of man the greater opposition unto Christ and unto the Spirit Verse 3. Opening and alledging that Christ must needs have suffered and risen again from the dead and that this Iesus whom I preach unto you is Christ It is not enough to know that there is a Jesus that hath suffered and is risen but we must come to this Iesus we must know him particularly this is he he in whom dwells the fulness of God he that is the manifestation of God the going forth of God the power and the wisdom of God have you met with him have you seen him-dying and found him rising in you Jesus Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God it is him we preach This is the Jesus whom I preach unto you saith Paul we must not only content our selves with generals and stories but we must come to particulars This is he here he is Till we finde him in our hearts we can finde nothing of his salvation nor of his life Verse 4. And some of them believed and consorted with Paul and Silas and of the devout Greeks a great multitude and of the chief women not a few Some of them believed Paul had a gleaning among his Countrey-men Those that were ordained to eternal life Hath God cast off his people saith he God forbid And consorted with Paul and Silas This is that the Ministry of the Spirit doth it is a Fan that severs it takes out the corn from the chaff that is the work of the Ministry to gather the Saints together to call up that holy seed that lieth in flesh and to make them one with another And of the devout Greeks a great multitude Some of the Jews but of the devout Greeks a great multitude more of the Gentiles then of the Jews And of the chief women not a few Here are Gentiles and women the Jews stand out except a little sprinkling of them but here are Heathens the Gentiles and women the weaker sort in these God appears It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth Here the Jew the Professor that is born after the flesh the carnal Professor he stands out and this we shall see in our days Many come from the east and from the west but these Children of the Kingdom these that are only in an outward profession they shall be cast out the Gentiles come in and sit down with Abraham Isaac and Iacob the wise of the world shall be laid by silly and weak women shall be instructed babes and sucklings shall be fiill'd with strength and the mysteries of the Kingdom shall be hidden from the wise It follows Verse 5. But the Iews which believed not moved with envy took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort and gathered a company and set all the City on an uproar and assaulted the house of Jason and sought to bring them out to the people The Iews were such as owned themselves the people of God they carry the Scriptures they dispute out of the Scriptures and reason with Paul There is a form of godliness but the Devil is in it they are moved with envy that is the Devil Here is a pretence of zeal but envy lieth at the bottom this is that that is the Professors sin There is Gentile and Heathen sin that lieth in open prophaneness in drunkenness in filthiness and uncleanness in theft and murther and the like but here is the Professors sin that lieth in spiritual wickedness as envy malice hatred wrath evil surmisings and the like Many a man blesses himself in this I am not thus and thus no drunkard no adulterer no murtherer but look what thou art in thy heart is envy there then there is murther Every one that Professes God let him search his heart let him not Pharisaically boast he is not as this Publican They took unto them certain lewd fellows c. This is the way of men when reason and light are too hard for them then they make an uproar a clamor they will carry it with a noise and this is a judgement of God upon carnal Professors God leads them forth with evil doers in just judgement
honourable and noble they are Kings and Queens and Princes and they shall appear so Verse 15. And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens c. Athens was an University where were learned men See the Apostles entertainment here wheresoever he came else his entertainment was persecution but here he hath little besides scoffs and jeers He had more to do here with the wise heathen then with the professing Jews and 't is observable what the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 1. We preach Christ crucified to the Greeks foolishness to the Jews a stumbling block The wise Greeks looked after wisdom the Jews after a sign Christ crucified was foolishness to the Greek and a stumbling block to the Jew Here Paul deals with the Greeks which say What saith this babler What strange Doctrine is this Verse 16. Now while Paul waited for them at Athens his spirit was stirred in him when he saw the City wholly given to Idolatry His Spirit was stirred in him There is body soul and spirit as the Apostle hath it in the Thessalonians What is this spirit but the partaking of the divine nature as Peter calls it The new man born of God in which God doth act This spirit lieth dead and is asleep further then God doth quicken and act it This spirit is the seat and Temple of God where God moves the devils business is in the flesh there he works his work the spirit is entire unto God here God appears sometimes and sometimes he does not We cannot do any handsome work in the Gospel without a stirring in spirit we cannot sail without a gale we cannot stir in a calm He was stirred in spirit It is the spirit of God that stirs the spirit of his people Sometimes there is a discovery of Idolatry the spirit of the Saints is not stird Sometimes God saith as of Ephraim He followeth Idols let him alone Here was a whole City in Idolatry and Pauls spirit is stirred to deal with them if it may be to help some of them out of it the spirit of God will strive with some and it will not strive with others 't will give over striving my spirit shall no longer strive with man as 't is in Genesis Here the Lord was pleased to appeare to some of them When he saw the City wholly given to Idolatry That which is given to Idols is given to devils Here was a City given to the devil this learned City this seeing City is wholly in the devils hands wholly given to Idolatry given to Satan He is the God of the world the wisdom of the world and flesh worship him and Jesus Christ in whom the true God makes his appearance is crucified by the world Verse 17. Therefore disputed he in the Synagogue with the Jews and with the devout persons and in the Market daily with them that met with him He disputed with them There are some to be disputed with and some to be let alone He disputed with the Jews in the Synagogue and on the Market day Paul is a market-man What doth Paul in the Market Paul in the Market hath no worldly design Paul is a spiritual man in the Market as most men are carnal in the Congregation Paul's design was Heaven and God in the Market and many a ones design is the world and flesh in the Synagogue The Saints in the world they are not worldly carnal men are worldlâ— even in the Church Spiritual men in their dealing in outward things are spiritual 't is God that they look at and 't is him that they seek Carnal men even in prayer and all their worship are carnal and make use of God onely for the world and flesh Verse 18. Then certain Philosophers of the Epicureans and of the Stoicks encountred him and some said What will this babler say Othersome he seemeth to be a setter forth of strange Gods because he preached unto them Jesus and the Resurrection Certain Philosophers Students in this University lovers of wisdom some of the Epicureans those that were taken up in a search after true pleasure true contentment true rest we do not look upon that Sect as making after fleshly or beastly lusts it was a gallant study And some of the Stoicks those that studyed the subduing their passions a brave study but both of them fruitless and nothing but labour in vain without the spirit Paul comes to them with that Ministery it had pleased the spirit to communicate to him They that are Ministers of the spirit cannot minister the spirit to whom they will but as it pleaseth the spirit to go forth by them These encountred him and some said What will this babler say This is the repute that all those have that minister the spirit and that they must look for that will hold forth onely the learning of the spirit among the wise of the world a spiritual man must reckon to be looked upon as a fool a trifler a babler Whatever natural wisdom cannot understand and reach the pride that is in it will scoffe and jeer at What will this babler say Thus the language and expression of the spirit is unto the world the wise of the world The wisdom of the world is enmity to God Some said He seems to be a setter forth of strange Gods Why Gods in the plural number Paul held forth one God and the onely God as he shews afterward This God is strange unto wise and learned men they look upon him as setting forth strange Gods because he preached unto them Jesus and the Resurrection Like enough they looked upon him as holding forth Jesus to be one God and the Resurrection another Carnal men are very apt to have gross mistakes when they hear of spiritual things Jesus and the Resurrection Mark how these are joyned together I am the Resurrection and the Life saith Christ So far as any man doth know Jesus he lives in the Resurrection All the knowledge of Jesus that is saving is above the world above the natural man It is life eternal to know Jesus and this is the Resurrection And this Resurrection is above the reach of all the learned and wise men of Athens The natural man comes not into it it lieth within a veil therefore he that preaches Jesus indeed must needs be a Barbarian and a babler to a meer natural man Whosoever doth preach Jesus in the spirit he must not look nor think to be generally understood For my part if all I hold forth concerning Jesus should be commonly understood I had very good ground to question whether I preach Jesus or no. Verse 19. And they took him and brought him unto Areopagus saying May we know what this new Doctrine whereof thou speakest is Here was some ingenuity he was not barred up indeed it was their profession their business at Athens to tell or hear some new thing as ver 21. May we know c. Paul might answer them I cannot tell whether you may or
in what strange darkness are we that we should not see him As certain of your own Poets have said and so he is strikeing them with their own quils dealing with them upon that they did own and acknowledge All men are the off-spring of God There are two ways of being Gods Off-spring one by nature another by the spirit one onely in old Adam another in Christ the living soul the quickning spirit Verse 29. For asmuch then as we are the off-spring of God we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto Gold or Silver or stone graven by Art and mens device See the force here of the Apostles Reason We are his Off-spring this is profest among you now we being his Off-spring shall we make God our Off-spring Shall we make the work of our hands to be God We are of him and shall we maker him to be of us Verse 30. And the times of this ignorance God winked at but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent God was pleased that there should be such a time of darkness that the devil should have a power and a kingdom but now that he is coming forth he will be owned Now he commandeth all men everywhere to repent he is coming forth now to shew himself and he comes forth in Christ so in the next verse Verse 31. Because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead Thus he works and toles them on from their own principles to believe in Christ He will judge the world in Righteousness and he will judge the world by a man that man whom he hath ordained of whom he hath given evidence that he will judge the world by him by that man who was judged by the world and suffered according to the flesh but is justified in the spirit in that he is risen from the dead Here is the judgement of God the Resurrection this raised state This day of the Lord comes forth when Christ comes forth when this man is revealed in us there this day this judgement comes forth As he is revealed we are judged Verse 32. And when they heard of the Resurrection of the dead some mocked and others said We will hear thee again of this matter Carnal wisdom cannot beare that which is beyond its reach Christ came into the world for judgement that those that see not might see and those that see might be made blinde Verse 33. So Paul departed from among them Yet there is some fruit of his preaching his spirit was not stirred to no purpose for Verse 34. Certain men clave unto him and believed c. CHRIST the onely SACRIFICE and ALTAR SERMON I. HEB. 13. 10 11 12 13 14 15. We have an Altar whereof they have no right to eat which serve the Tabernacle For the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the Sanctuary by the high Priest for sin are burnt without the Camp Wherefore Jesus also that he might sanctifie the people with his own blood suffered without the gate Let us go forth therefore unto him without the Camp bearing his reproach For here have we no continuing City but we seek one to come By him therefore let us offer the Sacrifice of Praise to God continually that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his Name IEsus Christ yesterday to day and for ever the substance of all the true Altar the true Sacrifice the true High-Priest the heavenly Sanctuary let us by him offer the Sacrifice of praise We have an Altar let every one consider whether they do worship by this Altar There is no sanctified gift but by this Altar we have no true meat but from this Altar no true Spiritual refreshment but from him There is nothing strengthens and establishes the heart but Christ nothing but Grace he is the Altar and he is the Sacrifice So it follows in the 11. Verse For the bodies c. He is the sin-offering He is made a curse for us he became sin for us and whosoever is sanctified by him he is carried forth by him without the camp and is content to take up his reproach True Sanctification unto God is to go out of the glory and rest and ease of the flesh into the reproach of the world where Christ is and whither he calls us and through that willcarry us into spiritual glory into eternal honor and rest Let us go forth This is to be sanctified by Iesus Christ this is to be made peculiar unto the Lord to leave all and follow the Lord to take up his Cross to deny our selves to dye and to suffer with Christ then we shall live and raign with him The exchanging life riches honors is that we are called to by Christ who that he might sanctifie the people suffered without the gate he was made a curse and those whom he sanctifies he makes willing to be made a curse we come into the blessing of God by being contented to be made a curse unto the world those whom Christ sanctifies he makes a willing offering Let us go forth unto him without the Camp He lives in them he carries them forth and there appears the same minde in them that was in Christ Iesus This is true Sanctification Let the same minde be in you that was in Christ Jesus No man takes my life from me saith Christ but I lay it down of my self The reproach of Christ is the way to the glory of Christ Moses esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches then the treasures of Egypt Let us go forth to him But this is a hard saying and who can bear it T is no hard saying for we part with nothing but what will away For we have here no abiding City we look for one to come We are going to a heavenly City and Countrey whiles we are parting with this so t is no hard saying Till we be convinced by the Spirit of the passing away of this present form of things and see a durable state coming an inheritance immortal and undefiled we shall never be content to go out of the City out of the Camp and to bear Christs reproach But this is that that is said every one seems convinced that here we have no abiding City and every one professes he looks for one to come if then we refuse to go forth without the Camp and to bear Christs reproach if we mock and scorn those that do we have that within us will rise up in judgement against us and our Religion comes all to this we profess we know God but in works we deny him By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually Mark how those two come together Let us go forth c. and By him let us offer c. There is joy and glory in the reproach of Christ When
not how this can be the Spirit teaches those that are born of him how it can and may be They that are born of him if they do not understand they shall understand God will reveal the same to them When God is all in all to us and we see God in all his love in all his power in all then we shall praise him in all we shall give thanks in all we shall do all we do to the Lord we shall dye to the Lord and live to the Lord Whether we live or dye we are the Lords we shall work to the Lord we shall sleep to the Lord we shall awake to the Lord Holiness will be written upon the bells of the horses upon all our imployments all will be a sacrifice of praise in all we shall give up our selves to the Lord. This is that the Apostle saith elsewhere 1 Thess 5. Rejoyce evermore pray without ceasing in all things give thanks In all things what in affliction in troubles in sufferings in reproaches why what saith the Text Let us go forth to him without the gate bearing his reproach and by him let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually Count it all joy saith James when you fall into divers temptations but what will you make of us you will say should we be stocks and stones would not you have us sensible of afflictions and temptations of burthens and reproaches that lie upon us see what the Apostle saith to this As sorrowful yet always rejoycing The spiritual man hath a sense of afflictions and reproaches and a deep sense too he sees all that is in the cup but he sees through it he sees joy surpassing all sorrow Christ he saw through the cup he saw the shame and was sensible of it but there was joy that was set before him there was that that swallowed up all that that lifted him up above all there was a cup of wine that made him forget his sorrow Give wine to him that is sad in heart When our hearts are full of sorrow God comes in with a cup of wine God sheds abroad his love in our hearts and we joy in tribulation as saith the Apostle so here is the sacrifice of praise in affliction in trouble in necessity in reproaches being persecuted we suffer patiently being defamed we bless and a spirit of glory rests upon us We see God in all we see a good hand in all God will do me good for his cursing saith David The flesh cannot praise at all no not in all peace in all abundance all its sacrifice is to its own net but the Spirit praises in the midst of tribulation Paul and Silas sing in the Prison the Apostle commends to the Collosâ—ians long-suffering with joyfulness and he tells the Corinthians that as afflictions do abound for Christ so consolations do abound through Christ God comes in to his people in the saddest afflictions and tells them these are yours all is yours things present and things to come life is yours death is yours afflictions are yours they are all your servants he shews us that we are Lords and Masters and Conquerors he sets us above these Christ triumphed in the Cross as the Apostle saith and here is the triumph of a Christian over necessities afflictions reproaches yea over death it self not to be delivered from death but to be set above death to be conquerours of death We are more then Conquerors through him that loved us T is a poor expectation from Christ to expect by Christ to be delivered and defended from reproach from afflictions from necessities from sufferings Christ came to call us into these to set us above these and make us more then Conquerors over these He that will be my disciple saith he let him take up his cross and follow me Let us go forth to him without the gate and by him let us offer c. T is a strange thing this to praise in afflictions to be in continual praise but this is by him When we know the fellowship of his sufferings the vertue and power of his Resurrection this will be no strange thing to us and then we shall go forth willingly without the gate we shall go to his reproach chearfully Let us by him c. There is that in every Saint that seed of God that that is born of God that same holy one that is in continual praises The noise of flesh oftentimes and for a long time drowns this voyce but it shall be heard when flesh shall be put to silence When the Lord arises into his holy habitation you that see him sometimes and feel him sometimes shall see and feel him always and you shall say with the Apostle the life was manifest we have seen it we have handled it and our eyes have looked upon it You that say you live because he lives must needs see you live for ever for he never dies and you shall never dye you have a life that shall never be taken away I am the Resurrection and the life and he that believes in me shall never dye and this life is nothing but praise nothing but thanksgiving he is all in all doth all in us and for us works all our works and so far forth as we see him doing all as we shall see him perfectly when we walk in the light as he is in the light then we shall praise him in all t is his faith his sap his vertue his life his power to him be glory when he acts us and leads us by his Spirit whither can we go from him we must needs go to him we must go to praise we must go to glory he destroys the works of the Devil in us he destroys all that goes forth to the world to the creature at last he will destroy all there shall be no going forth but to him nothing but praise t is he that delivers us from other Lords Other Lords have had rule over us c. we have been praising the creature our own wisdom our own righteousness we have been offering up to our lusts Other Lords have had dominion over us now by thee only we will make mention of thy name you that mention the Lord keep not silence God doth bring and will manifestly bring all his true born people his own begotten children in Jesus Christ I say he will bring them into continual praise Some of these it may be do not know yet what it means the world shall never know it It may be yet we know no other praise but an expression of words we shall know that praise is giving up our selves to God We do not know that we pray but only when we set our selves apart and make this Preface Come let us pray perhaps twice or thrice a day c. T is far from me to condemn any one that is in the use of these hours and forms let them be in God in the Spirit and he will be with them but
take notice that there is continual prayer therefore thou that hast thy times and thy hours and thy forms begin to look higher and be at it continually By him let us offer the sacrifice of Praise to God continually And 't is no more then what is held forth to us in the Prophecy of Isa the last chap. ver 23. And it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another and from one Sabboth to another shall all flesh come to worship before me saith the Lord. You that do not know continual Praise if you do praise God in the spirit if you are sincere and true in your makings unto God you shall know what it is They that are strong should bear with the infirmities of the weak and they that are weak should not judge the strong thou that dost not know what continual praise is judge not those that do thou that dost know it do not despise those that do not but go down to them to fetch them out of their weakness for Christ is come down to fetch thee up and let brotherly love continue Continually 'T is that we are designed to by Jesus Christ to be ever with the Lord Let us be making to it let us be looking after the price of the high calling of God in Jesus Christ Let us all know and acknowledge we are making forward not yet perfect By him let us offer c. That is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his Name That is the fruit of our lips Here take notice how the tongue and the lips and the fruit thereof is sanctified by Jesus Christ and consecrated to God And this in all those that are sanctified by Jesus Christ The fruit of the lips is a sacrifice acceptable by Christ And therefore the Prophet Hosea Hos 14. 2. Calls the fruit of the lips the Calves of the lips The fruit of our lips by the sanctification of Jesus Christ is made a sacrifice acceptable unto God and not onely the fruit of our lips but the fruit of our hands the fruit of our feet the fruit of all our members The fruit of the earth as 't is said in Isa 4. 1 2. where the Prophet speaks of the manifestation of Christ in the spirit In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped That is for the spiritual seed the remnant that are taken out of the corruption of the world when he shall come who is the desire of all Nations seven women shall lay hold of him all shall make to him and own him and be one with him then the fruit of the earth shall be glorious then we shall eat our own bread and wear our own apparel we shall no more wear sins nor the devils robes we shall not borrow of sin we shall no more eat of his bread but of our own that which is in our Fathers house and that is Christ And in that day the fruit of the earth every part of us the whole body even the lips that have been full of poyson the tongue that hath had the fire of hell in it shall be filled with the fire of Heaven That that hath been darts and arrows and swords and venome and the sting of Aspes and Dragons even that shall be healing It shall be refreshing and delighting this is by Jesus Christ Christ shall come forth even in our tongues and season them with grace and make them to be a tree of life they shall minister Grace unto the hearers Christ doth recover all that the devil hath carried away as Abraham all that the King of Sodom caried away He recovers it he takes it out of pollution and out of filth There is a dumb Devil a beastly Devil a blasphemous Devil an accusing Devil a pratling and busie body Devil as Peter speaks of such Why Christ shall cast out every one of these Devils all the fruit of the lips shall be a sacrifice of praise there shall be no more of these no backbiting no slandering no going up and down to tell one anothers faults nothing but love and Praise and Thanksgiving Every member shall be restored and the tongue shall be restored I beseech you saith the Apostle as you have yeilded your members servants of iniquity unto iniquity so yeeld them servants of righteousness unto holiness This is by Christ and this is the effect of the spirit when he is poured forth making melody in your hearts which breaths forth nothing to God but love nothing to man but love nothing but praise nothing but joy Christ is a thorow Redeemer a thorow Restorer and therefore body and soul and every member of the body shall be Redeemed The spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead shall quicken your mortal bodies Christ gains the heart to God and out of the abundance of that the mouth speaks He makes the heart a treasury of good things and then comes forth nothing but good at the door of the lips The tongue and the lips are either the great instruments of the Devil or of God of Heaven or of Hell the fire of Heaven and the fire of hell is in the tongue Acts of life and death are in the power of the tongue Here is blessing and here is cursing God promises in the prophecie of Zachary to restore unto his people a pure lip or language and what is this pure language but Praise and Thanksgiving what is it but love but grace but edification they shall call upon the Name of the Lord and serve him with one consent a pure language is not in words and syllables but Christ fills the heart thence the mouth is fill'd as 't is in Psal 37. 30 31. He speaks there of the Righteous man His mouth speaks of wisdom and his tongue of understanding and the Law of God is in his heart This is that which is the New-Testament the Law in our heart and when the Law is in our heart then it will be in our tongue The old administration began in the tongue thou shalt speak of it at all times the New-Testament begins at the heart Thou shalt write it in the heart and then the tongue will speak nothing else The fruit of our lips There is a fruit of our lips that is seeming praise which coming not from the abundance of the heart is the greatest abomination unto God A flattering and deceitful tongue the Lord shall cut it out There is more of the fire of hell in a tongue that speaks to God and not from the heart then in a tongue openly blaspheming Therefore the Apostle Paul could not bear the devil that cried These are the servants of the most high God that shew unto us the way of salvation But Christ in the heart the fire of Heaven in the heart the Altar in the heart and there flaming out at the mouth O 't is
be saved saith the Apostle but so as by fire And this it cannot but be some ease and refreshment unto those that have their present state in wrath in indignation they have their hearts making out to God and they cannot think of him but they are troubled I thought of God and was troubled Saints have their purgation here their dross is burnt off here in this fire and when that is burnt the Bryars and Thorns when they are consumed no more indignation Hide thy self till the indignation be overpast So God hath a People of his Love and this People they feel indignation and wrath Whom he loves he chastens and he corrects every Son whom he receives Again take notice here how that God doth express himself most kindly and lovingly unto his People in the times of their sufferings Times of indignation and wrath they usher in the sweetest discoveries of love and grace Come my People What a sweet entertainment is here Come my people enter into thy Chambers enter into thy Chambers My beloved is one and all the People of God are one they have one life Come my people enter into thy Chambers Indignation and wrath to souls that love God and thirst after him they do usher in the sweetest communion with him Is Ephraim my dear son saith God in Jer. 31. Is Ephraim my dear son In what a condition was Ephraim when the Lord speaks this he was in deep affliction Jer. 31. 18. I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself Thou hast chastised me and I was chastised as a Bullock unaccustomed to the yoke turn me and I shall be turned Then in ver 20. Is Ephraim my dear son is he a pleasant child for since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still therefore my bowels are troubled for him The Church here is complaining we have been with child and in pain and have brought forth nothing but wind why come my people saith God lift up the weak hands and the feeble knees I le take her into the wilderness and there I le speak to her heart The Apostle he speaks of his afflictions as the season of his consolations 2 Cor. 1. Come my people This should somewhat reconcile us unto afflictions to wait till meat comes out of the eater It should settle our hearts while we hear thunder and lightning and fire and feel earthquakes there will a still voyce come at last after a while that you have suffered comfort will come in you shall find a Chamber and a Bed Come my people enter into thy Chamber A Chamber and a Bed and a Knee and a Bosom God doth all in love even afflictions they are in love and this love it shall be manifested it shall break out and be discovered the more sweetly the longer it is hid Ioseph will take off his disguise and cry I am Ioseph your brother God who was looked upon as an enemy will come forth with this Come my people enter into thy Chambers That 's a 3. particular Enter thou into thy Chambers The People of God they have a retiring place a resting place a hiding place in trouble and affliction A Chamber it is a retiring place a resting place a hiding place And what is this same Chamber of the People of God but God Return to thy rest O my soul for God hath been good unto thee 't is the 116 Psal ver 11. The Lord hath been good unto thee This is the Chamber Elswhere God is presented a Rock a Castle Thou hast been the dwelling place of thy people from one generation to another as it is in the Psalms Thou wilt keep them in perfect peace whose mind is staid on thee as it is in ver 3. of this Chapter The People of God have a Refuge a Rest a Shelter in all troubles Trouble and distress is the portion of the wicked but the Saints have a retiring place and afterwards deliverance this is that that the world cannot find God is the retiring and hiding place of his People and he cannot forsake his People he cannot but tend them in their greatest sufferings he will see they shall suffer no more then they are able to bear and he will give them a good issue Let us ask our souls whether we know trouble and whether we know rest in trouble and whether we know this rest a better rest then this world And this answers that objection the world makes against the Saints waiting upon God We call the proud happy say they and they that tempt God are delivered here is nothing but trouble and affliction No nothing else Surely here is rest too Here is rest in trouble and then there is deliverance Hide thy self for a little moment untill the indignation be overpast enter into thy Chambers and shut thy doors about thee Here is this also to be observed How that in time of ease and rest in the flesh in the world the People of God are very apt to be stragling abroad to be running out into the lusts of the world and flesh running out of their rest And when we run into the world and into the flesh and into these lusts we go out of our rest out of our peace This is implyed here when there is a call to come in indignation is abroad come in enter into thy Chamber It is going out from God that brings us into trouble now return come in again When there is peace and quiet in the flesh the flesh it is carryed forth there are baits and temptations it sees its Lovers and it makes after them then God sets up a hedge of Thorns as it is in Hos 2. 8. I will hedge up thy way with thorns she shall not find her Lovers then shall she say I will return to my first husband for then it was better with me then now And this is that God cals to here Come my people enter into thy Chambers thou hast lain abroad and been at forrage in the world where thou hast left thy life behind thee now seek it here Enter into thy Chambers These Chambers which are the rest of the Saints are a prison unto the flesh and a Saint being flesh as well as spirit the spirit is asleep sometimes and the flesh is awake and alive and that goes after its Lovers and then trouble comes and distress comes and there is no getting out but by making in again making in unto God Enter into thy Chambers Again see here is Gods call Come my people enter in And there is no coming into the rest of God but for those whom the Lord cals and when he cals too it is not when we will t is not when man will t is not when the Minister will but it is when the Spirit will Come my people The voyce of God in our hearts is that that gives his beloved rest So he gives his beloved rest How He cals by his Spirit Come my people enter into thy Chambers There is indignation
world and flesh have all their rest and contentment here in the creature they have left the Creator and are turned to the creature They have forsaken the fountain of living water c. The Lord comes out of his place to punish them The Lords coming out of his place his appearance is destruction to all them that run a whoring from him After indignation hath been upon the Saints then it comes upon the world Iudgement begins at the house of God Wel what shal the end of thē be that obey not the Gospel The righteous is delivered out of trouble and the wicked comes in his place saith Solomon Behold the Lord comes out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity Assyria and Aegypt and Babylon are the scourge of God upon his people When his people are chastised then he throws his rods into the fire I will punish the stout heart of the King of Assyria Isa 10. And it is a righteous thing with God saith the Apostle 2 Thes 1. to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you and to you that are troubled rest with us It is the glory of God after he hath lent his power to his enemies to take it into his own hands and to plague them to bring them under his feet While the world is rejoycing indignation shall pass from the people of God upon the world The world I count all earthly minded people that have their joy in the creatures The friendship of the world is enmity to God If their eyes were open they would little rejoyce considering what would be the end of this the end of this mirth would be heaviness God comes forth and all their Candles go out no more the voyce of the Bridegroom in thee every one that hath his life in the earth and in the creature is treasuring up wrath to himself against the day of wrath and so much Joy and Glory as they have had so much sorrow and torment shall seise upon them The Lord is come out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity The Lord shall turn his hand upon the world after he hath purged his people And this is also to be taken notice of here That there is hope unto the people of God that the bitter cup is passed from them and the indignation is going off them when God begins to take the world in hand when indignation begins to seise upon them Hide thy self for a moment till the indignation be overpast for behold the Lord comes out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth It will not last long when God hath the world in hand he is come out of his place to punish them therefore lift up your heads You that wait for God and have your hope in him lift up your weak hands and your feeble knees when God begins to afflict the world he is drawing it off from his people their yoke is breaking when the worlds neck is going into it when God begins with Aegypt then Israels warfare is accomplished when the rods are throwing into the fire then the childrens chastisement is at an end And according unto this truth the Saints have a pleasant prospect upon the world in all the trouble and distress of it In Famines Earthquakes Pestilences Wars in all the confusions and distresses thereof then they that wait for God that love him and his appearance are called upon to lift up their heads for their redemption draweth nigh Luke 21. 28. And here is the ground of it in the Text God is come forth to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity The indignation will soon be over Hide thy self for a moment A moment and all thy trouble will be at an end all thy deaths will be dead the worlds death is coming now and deaths death is coming now The Lord is come out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth Out of his place That expression cals for our observation and it hath a word before it Behold the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth And this is that is held forth to us here That while the inhabitants of the earth do live in jollity and prosperity God is as it were withdrawn out of the earth gone into his place God is everywhere and what is Gods place He is every-where but now he is pleased not to manifest himself here in the earth in the world It is a kind of withdrawing into a place going into a hole hiding himself and as it were leaving things in mens hands to rule by Satan leaving the earth and men to do their will and their pleasure There is the same expression in other Scriptures beside this Micah 1. 3. Behold the Lord comes out of his place and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth The Lord is in a retiring place as it were it is a Metaphorical speech he is everywhere he doth not appear that that we see is man and here is the Devil in them and lust in them and violence in them a time of great jollity great rejoycing great prosperity to the inhabitants of the earth What is this time God is gone into his place he hides himself he is retired He saith I will go down and see if it be so in Sodom according to the cry of it He went down and by his appearance set Sodom on fire he retires is not seen and the fool saith there is no God The heart of worldly men saith God sees not neither doth he regard God is gone into his place le ts the Devil and sin range everywhere and do what they will There is that expression in the Gospel The Kingdom of heaven is like a certain Nobleman who went into a far Country to receive a Kingdom and return So God is as it were gone into a far Country to receive a Kingdom and who hath the Kingdom now Satan hath the Kingdom man hath the Kingdom and death hath the Kingdom sin hath the Kingdom there is little to be seen in the world but these The Spirit of God was abroad mightily in the Apostles time after Christs Ascention and then he was pleased to draw in again that the man of sin might come forth and shew himself as the Apostle hath it 2 Thes 2. He that lets will let till it be taken out of the way That was that glorious manifestation of light and power in some of the people of God in those times and that did let and the man of sin could not come forth but that shall be taken out of the way and then he should come forth and this same taking out of the way was as much as Gods going into his place And so much doth that expression hold forth of Gods being in heaven according to that of the Apostle The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all the unrighteousness
of men Rom. 1. 17. The wrath of God is as it were in its place now kept up The wrath of God is nothing else but the manifestation of God God manifested to them that walk contrary to him his manifestation is wrath God manifested to Bryars and Thorns set in battle against him is consuming fire Now this wrath of God seems to be shut up in a secret place it shall be revealed from heaven it shall come forth out of its place All the glory rejoycing and prosperity of earthly men Earthly minded men in the creature you have your life in the earth your joy in the creature and your rest here you have this only while God is in his place while he is withdrawn but when he comes forth indignation comes upon you wrath comes upon you like Sorrow upon a woman in travail and you shall not escape Now you slight God care not for him say he sees you not say in you heart there is no God he will be upon you on a sudden and when he doth appear every knee shall bow to him and his enemies shall be found lyars And God doth appear purposely that it might appear what man is if the Majesty of God did appear no man would blaspheme him no man would slight him but now he is in a kind of absence and withdrawment he is in his place Now the world appears in riot and the evill servant drinks with the drunkard and beats his fellow-servants and saith My master will not yet come When he comes forth who shall stand before him Who shall stand before devouring fire Who shall stand before everlasting burnings All earthly-minded people they will vanish away they will come to nothing Even as darkness stands by the absence of light and when light comes it is destroyed so the darkness of this world and the joy of the wicked it hath its place while God is withdrawn when he appears and is manifested when he takes off his Vail that is upon him they consume out of their dwelling Let God arise and his enemies shall be scattered Set the Bryars and Thorns against me saith God who will do it I will burn them together I will go through them and burn them and it is but going through them and they are burnt There is everlasting destruction from his presence Darkness wickedness sin cannot stand but in Gods withdrawing and this is the reason of sin and hels rage God is gone into his place when he comes forth again these are like dust before him There are that have their time only in Gods absence and who are these They that live upon the world they that are satisfying their lusts they that have nothing but that which is seen that put their trust in it have all their life in the creature these have all their joy here in Gods absence and are just like the wild beasts as we have a description of them in the Psalms Man goes forth unto his labour till the evening and the evening comes and the beasts go abroad after their prey And this is the time of mens satisfying their lusts while God is in his place while God is not manifested My master defers his coming saith the evil servant And here is the reason of the dreadfulness of the mention of the day of Judgement unto an earthly heart a carnal heart O how terrible is it The thought of Doomesday the Judgement day the Throne set the Books opened The reason why this is so dreadfull is because that then all their sport is at an end all their joy is done they had it in the flesh but there shall no flesh glory in his presence All the glory that is in flesh shall dis-appear when the glory of God appears The day of the Lord is darkness and not light unto all that live in the world This is mans day Mans day which is Gods night and Gods day is the worlds night If you have your life in the earth when God comes forth there is an end of your life The Saints are dead till the Lord comes forth this is the reason why they wait for this day O that the Lord would come They love his appearance they long for his appearance they wait for his Kingdom Thus the Spirit of God in Scripture doth decipher out Saints and Disciples unto us They waited for the Kingdom of God They love and long for his appearance As he appears down goes sin his appearance sets a flame unto sin even the sin and lust that is in us and when that is burnt up there is nothing but glory nothing but glory that remains He is come out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth that is those that have their life and rest in the earth They have this life and rest and joy only while God doth not appear when he appears and comes forth nothing but blackness and darkness nothing but destruction from his presence as it is in 2 Thes 1. Everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power when he shall come to be glorified in his Saints and admired in them that believe Now he is dishonoured and reproached then he shall be glorified The Lord is come out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity The earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain The earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain When the Lord is discovered when he discovers himself there is a discovery of every thing there shall be no longer hiding The earth is disclosed God is light and there is an end of darkness when light comes forth The earth shall disclose her blood and shall no longer hide her slain What is this blood and this slain which the earth hides and covers for the time and which it shall disclose It is the Lords blood Do we not read in Scripture of the Lords blood Acts 20. The Church he hath redeemed by his own blood The blood of the Lamb the Lamb slain There are two things to be observed here First this That the Lord of life lyeth slain and buried in the earth and this is his place spoken of before When he comes out of his place the earth discloses her blood and discovers her slain The Lord lyeth slain and buried in the earth Another thing is That the Lord by his own power will rise up and discover and manifest himself and say I am he that was dead but am alive and I live for evermore and I have the keys of hell and death The Lord lyeth slain and buried in the earth the earth is the grave of the Lord this Creation is the Lords Sepulchre it is the Lords Monument and it hath this inscription written upon it Behold the place where the Lord lies the Lord lyeth slain in the earth and this is his place where he is hidden he is every-where but he is as
it were dead and slain Rev. 5. John saw the Lamb as it had been slain he is as it were slain but he lives all this while and he raigns and rules but there is nothing seen but the Kingdom of Men of Devils of Death of Hell The Lord he is slain he comes forth at times and makes appearances and as he looks up still he is knockt down and the world cries Devil and Blasphemy In all the appearances that hitherto he hath made he hath been slain the Devil hath possessed all the Mountains that ever he raised up the seven Mountains the Whore sits upon them That the Apostle hath Heb. 6. They crucifie afresh the son of God and put him to open shame God makes his appearance and still he is crucified still he is slain whilst he riseth in flesh still he is killed If you ask who it is that kils him His enemies kill him sin and hell his friends kill him therefore Christ saith Father forgive them they know not what they do These are the wounds I have received in the house of my friends He kils himself he gives up his life for that which Pilat and Herod did they did by the determinate Counsel of God Awake O sword against the shepherd that is my fellow I lay down my life of my self and no man takes it from me saith Christ he gives up himself It is the blood of God in us that redeems this earth Thou hast redeemed us by thy blood There is no man shall live but he in whom God is dead in whom he lyeth slain for a while or as it were slain and by this God comes forth in a more glorious Kingdom His Kingdom is more glorious when he comes out of death into it comes upon Death comes upon Hell and all the powers of it God is pleased to make himself enemies that he may appear to be above them God is slain his blood is shed in Christ and Christ in the Saints he suffers still I fill up the sufferings of Christ saith the Apostle Here he dies and here he rises And this it may give us some light and instruction touching sin in the knowledge whereof we are exceeding defective All have sinned that the Apostle saith and sinned the utmost of sin Slain and murdered the Lord of life And think of it what you will you never see sin in a true light till you see your selves murtherers and betrayers of the Lord of glory the Spirit convincing of sin it convinceth of this and this is that that earthly-mindedness doth the earth in us this love of the earth this love of the creature it kils the Lord and buries the Lord it keeps down the Lord. Do you not know saith Iames that the friendship of the world is enmity unto God And you that know God and love God mind what you do whilst you go out after the earth Here is killing the Lord and burying him keeping him down Either we are crucifying God or else we are crucifying the world and the world is crucified unto us one of these two We are crucifying God while we do not look and long for his appearance all living in the earth being at home in the body is crucifying the Lord. The Devil is the god of this world he is a murderer and so are all those that serve this world murtherers and betrayers of the Lord of life The earth buries him the earth covers him the Princes of this world crucifie the Lord of glory You that profess to know the Lord of glory see what you do whilst you are climbing up in the world making after the greatness and the glory thereof the earth hides his blood and covers him here he is buried worldly lusts fleshly lusts these kill and flay and bury God in you keep down Christ in you This is the reason why the world makes so little account of God and makes no more of God then a fancy they have slain him and they have buried him and they raign but he will rise and then wo to the inhabitants of the earth The Devil is come among you and then you shall see the Devil the Devil is among you but you do not see him then you shall be delivered up to him It is a comfort to them that they cannot see God that their souls long after him and they love him but they cannot see him Why He is not discovered where he is he lyeth dead a great while He lyeth dead in the hearts and souls of his People And it should make us beware of passing judgement upon any That they are not the Lords and the Lord is not in them because he is not at present manifested he lyeth dead there is his blood and it may quicken though it be now as dead And it should make us very wary of judging any persons those that walk in the greatest opposition unto God God may lie dead in them and when he rises in them that shall suffer for him that did before persecute him and whosoever he be that lives he hath seen God dead in him and now he is raised This is indeed the conversion of a sinner it is the quickening of Christ in the heart He is dead in the earth here is his blood and he will rise up the earth shall discover her blood shall no longer hide her slain he will come out of his place he hath come forth in many appearances and hath been killed again but he will come forth in his own body and he will stand in the earth and rising from the dead he dies no more death hath no more dominion over him and he coming out of the grave will bring forth all his with him of which we had a type in the coming of the people of God out of Aegypt and out of Babylon they brought forth all the riches out of Aegypt returned with all the vessels out of Babylon When God brings us forth out of death and hell he will bring us forth with all the goods and all the riches that death and hell have robbed us of The earth shall no longer cover his blood And it cannot be it is impossible he should see corruption it is his blood and therefore must recover it is the Lamb but as it were slain he rules still he rules amidst his enemies he rules in death in hell but is covered is not seen He shall live and his people shall live with him And look we into our hearts what we find of the death of Christ of the resurrection of Christ of fellowship with him in his sufferings and the power of his resurrection This is that Pauls heart did beat upon Phil. 3. 10. We know him and the power of his death and fellowship of his sufferings Look what we know of him and look for his revealing in us When it pleased God to reveal his Son in me Know ye not that Christ is in you Prove your selves whether you be in the faith Christ
be under the power of none but God I want none but God I 'le seek to none but God Consider that of the Apostle in 1 Cor. 7. Let them that are married be as if they were not married and they that use the world as if they used it not All going forth to the creature to the world to any piece of it t is ungodliness t is going from God If you cannot be content with God alone t is ungodliness You deny his alsufficiency 't is little Faith this is want of godliness Your Father knows what you have need of you have nothing to do but to please your Father he will supply these things Seek his kingdom these things shall be sent into you So All going forth unto any part of this Creation is ungodliness it is going from God Here is the root of all ungodliness discovered going from God to the creature You will be rich and you must have this and you must have that there is but one thing necessary and if you think any thing else necessary t is denyal of God t is ungodliness You will say this is a hard saying and who can bear it When Christ had told his disciples that it was easier for a Camel to go through the eye of a needle then for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven who then can be saved say they Surely not one that trusts in riches for that is a denying of God Who shall be saved then who is there shall take off his desire from every creature that shall take off his heart and make it over wholly unto the Lord that shall desire nothing but the Lord and say I have none in Heaven but thee nor in earth but thee mark what Christ answers there to men this is impossible but with God all things are possible That which is called for of us is impossible to man but to God all things are possible even this is possible The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus will free us from the Law of sin and death God calls us to that which is above mans strength to yield to His belly cleaves to the ground and dust is his meat being beguiled by the Serpent and his looking towards God is meerly Hypocritical But God brings forth Christ in him raises up that substance that holy seed and that seeks him alone Vnless you be born again you cannot see the Kingdom of God So that it is impossible to please God except you know a better Righteousness then mans Righteousness Vnless your righteousness exceeed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees you cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Man will not see the extent of sin because he will not see his own condemnation in it but that man that is of God he sees that the power of God is his and the holiness of God is his And he hath a nature that shall rise up out of the creature and throw off all its dust and earth that is upon it and cleave perfectly to God And he delights in the greatness of the commands that God gives Look how great the command is so great is his inheritance there is nothing God commands but what he hath promised His Law he writes in the heart Whatever God commands he gives the higher God commands the Spiritual Man likes them the better God will work all this in me to this shall I rise in and through God Christ in me is able to do this It is God worketh in me to will and to do of his own good pleasure I 'le work out my Salvation Man dealing with the Scripture is lessening sin as much as may be by saying this is not sin and that is not sin May not I do this and may I not do that may I not take care how I shall live And then he comes to his distinctions of a tormenting care and a necessary care there must be a providence This is true providence to seek God You are to know your Father to please him and to deal in outward things as he leads you and no farther If you want it shall be good for you he will teach you to want and to abound to be hungry and to be full Godliness is beyond mans reach and he cannot comprehend it t is beyond what he can attain unto by nature and if you will have a right scantling of sin look upon it as the Apostle sets it out All have sinned and come short of the glory of God All falling short of the glory of God is sin We shall be brought in Christ into the glory of God and then we shall be brought quite out of sin Vse For the Applying of this Let this direct us in our account of sin and of ungodliness Let us reckon according unto this rule all worldly lusts all going forth from God to the world is ungodliness Where is the godly man There is no flesh can stand before God There is the man that is born of God though he lieth in flesh he will come forth and will be able to stand before God when fearfulness surpriseth the Hypocrite There is the new man that is created in true holiness shall stand There is an Hypocritical holiness an Hypocritical godliness that runs to the world and runs to the flesh making their belly their God they mind earthly things and yet they hold forth themselves high in godliness But the Scripture holds forth all going forth to the creature but in the Lord to be ungodliness It must needs be ungodliness to go out from God and it must needs be a denying God and his all-sufficiency to go out to anything but him Therefore let this teach us to mend our account and to correct our reckoning in matter of sin and matter of ungodliness If we be free from Cheats and Robberies and gross defraudings we lick our selves whole we wipe our mouth we are of the godly party so long as thou dost well for thy self men will speak well of thee when as there is raking after the world scraping riches and wealth together and we are ready to die for this thing and the other thing adding house to house and land to land I know not how to live without this Thus hell and the grave in us will never be satisfied alway craving And this is wisdom Prudence Providence This is to be a wise man in the account of men Men cry up this But dost thou acknowledge the Scripture then consider how that censures it Why do you take care Why do you look after any thing but God is not he alsufficient doth he not know what you need have you any thing to do but to look after his Kingdom Cannot you trust him O ye of little Faith is unbelieving godliness with you is not denying God ungodliness Therefore Le ts look into our own hearts and learn what to count ungodliness Sin lurks and is loth to be discovered the discovery of it is
true bread Joh. 6. Christ the true vine Joh. 15. But will you have flesh too Here is fat things and marrow My flesh saith Christ is meat indeed and my blâ—od is drink indeed That is my life not onely my natural life but my life which I had with the Father slain and buryed is meat indeed the words that I speak are spirit and life saith Christ where spirit and life is not this is not received What is this flesh and blood but the divine nature dwelling in you for a while as it were dead and buryed in flesh afterwards raised and quickned in flesh and you hath he quickned as it is Eph. 2. 1. This discovery of our true life and this life brought forth in us is the true meat the true drink the true flesh the true blood and this same flesh and blood of Adam is meat and drink too for that being slain the grave is opened where the true life lies Obj. You say God is the feast Christ is the feast and that the Lod will make the Feast That the Lord shall make the feast and that the Lord shall be the feast how can this be Sol. His manifestation his bringing forth himself is making the feast his Death and Resurrection brought forth in us is making the Feast then we feed on his flesh and on his blood as the Scripture speaks This is a feast and this feast hath fatness and sweetness in it to a spiritual man and the rich mans table and the delicacies are but crusts and scraps and parings to this Feast The Feast lies in Abrahams bosome the common life of all Saints one with Abraham gathered into the bosome of Abraham the same life that Abraham lived He that eats of this bread shall hunger no more he that drinks of this water shall thirst no more There is musick and dancing in this feast also as we may see in the Prodigals entertainment upon his return to his fathers house but the elder brother did not understand it Luke 15. The Lord is this feast and wheresoever the Lord is not after a little while there shall be nothing but hunger and thirst where the Lord is not there are but dreams The hungry man dreams that he eats and drinks and when he awakes his soul is empty as it is in Isaiah He that hath not entertainment with the Lord He that dwells not in Abrahams bosom shall hunger and thirst and languish and fade away to nothing Mark that Scripture in Isa 65. 11 12 13. Ye are they that forsake the Lord and forget my holy mountain that prepare a table for that troop and that furnish the drink offering unto that number Therefore thus saith the Lord God Behold my servant shall eat but ye shall be hungry behold my servant shall drink but ye shall be thirsty behold my servant shall rejoyce but ye shall be ashamed ye worship many Gods ye shall have many troubles The mountain is and is not the Feast is and is not it is set out but not fully the hour cometh and now is already we are the Lords Feast and he is ours everywhere but in the Lord shall be hunger and thirst dearth and barrenness he that can receive it let him receive it There are that have devoted themselves to the Law and the letter of Scripture there are others that have all their life in the creature God will shortly draw all life into himself and all they that run after other Gods shall starve and famish they and their Gods Obj. But you will say There is something in the Text that seems to contradict this for it is not said He shall make unto all people a feast Sol. To all people that is to all sorts of people In the spiritual Feast there is neither Jew nor Gentile neither male nor female but all are one in Christ Jesus Here is a repetition of the provision in this Feast A Feast of fat things a Feast of Wine on the Lees of fat things full of Marrow of Wine on the Lees well refined the Lord is a Feast a continual feast when you have feasted never so well ye shall finde him to set forth himself a better feast a richer feast for there is infinite variety in God the Lords death is the Feast his Resurrection the life that comes by it It follows in the seventh verse And he will destroy in this Mountain the face of the covering and the vail that is spread over all Nations The Lord in this Mountain in his appearing will destroy the face of the covering In the Mountain a Feast in the Mountain the face of the covering destroyed The carnal Jew looks for the fullfilling of the letter the spiritual Jew looks for the spirit Abraham Isaac and Jacob sought a Country not an earthly one but a heavenly we pitch upon figures and vails and enter not within the vail These outward things are a vail a Table made a snare but when we are turned to the Lord the vail shall be taken away All mans teaching wisdom c. makes the vaile the thicker those that feed onely upon the vail upon outward things in which God appears their life shall be destroyed when others are fed and feasted Here take notice of divers particulars I shall onely give you some hints do you judge of them First of all this Observ 1. That all the Worlds feastings are with a vail and their faces covered The spiritual man so far forth as he feasts it is with open face though yet but as in a glass 2 Cor. 3. whilst we have any joy but in the Lord it is in the vail We eat death in all our feasts we swallow it down but we do it not in victory that oppresseth us oftentimes Observ 2. This outward appearance is the face of the covering There is no man sees my substance but that face that he sees is the face of the covering Cease from man and you cease from the face of the covering and so it will follow that there is no judging by outward appearance while you judge by outward appearance you do not judge righteous judgement Observ 3. When the Lord comes forth to feast to feed to refresh his people he comes forth even in that to destroy He shall make a feast of fat things and he shall destroy and all in the mountain There is no feast without death The Saints salvation comes out of destruction He kills and makes alive By terrible things wilt thou answer us O God of our salvation He that will lose his life shall save it and he that will save his life shall lose it Christ is perfected through sufferings No man shall see God and live Our God is a consuming fire out of the Cross of Christ comes our joy whereby the world is crucified unto us and we unto the world If this be a parable unto you is it not because you lie under the vail because you are without God chuseth his people
in the fire of affliction Observ 4. Fourthly observe that the Lords sweetness and life lies now under a vail and covering that is the reason it is so little owned in the world A feast but not seen he that will see the Lord he that will feed at this feast must not look at the things that are seen but at things not seen which lie within the vail Obser 5. Again Fifthly take notice that there is no destroying the vail but by the Lords coming forth until the substance come forth the shadows are substances No perfect destroying the vail untill the Lord be fully come forth All the Ministers in the world cannot do it Observ 6. Sixthly Observe this That all people have a vail or a covering cast over them not one excepted He will destroy the vail of the Covering cast upon All people spred upon All Nations Though the Lord be not far from every one of us yet the Vail keeps us from seeing him and whilst we lie under the vail we grope and feel after him Till God destroy this vail we have foolish fancies and false apprehensions of God What wonder seeing All nations are under the vail All have sinned and come short of the glory of God Rom. 3. 23. God suffered all nations to walk in their own ways They that remain under the vail judge their brethren that see further then themselves of Error and Heresie but they that have the vail destroyed by the Lord will not be harsh to their brethren that lie under the vail although whilst the vail and the face of the Covering was spred upon them they were so grosly ignorant as to cry out against others Error Heresie Blaspemy Observ 7. Seventhly Observe the twofold expression in the Text The vail and the face of the covering And it is not only Cast but Spred also There is exactness in it Quest If you demand what this vail is that the Lord will destroy I Answer This Creation in its purity and perfection You will say The Creation declares the glory of God Psal 19. The heavens declare the glory of God and the earth shews forth his handy work Sol. True but in a vail Christs flesh was a vail Heb. 10. 20. This Creation in its purity and perfection is a vail but when Satan the world sin and death have gotten root in it then its a thick a dark vail or a shadow of death To those that sate in darkness and the shadow of death is this light come All Gods manifestations in it are vails till he get above it and cover it which he will do He is sunk into it as a seed as he riseth up in it it is in a vail Quest But how comes this vail Who casts this vail Answ 1. The Lord He makes darkness and light he makes vails and open Manifestations 2. Satan hath cast and spred this vail 3. We have every one of us cast it and spread it and we are shrowding our selves under it as God appears and God is righteous and holy in it and we and Satan are in the same sin We are all running into the vail as much as we can But God will destroy the vail and then every eye shall see him Behold he cometh with Clouds and every eye shall see him He is not seen now but he shall be seen his manifestation is life and death Life to those that are of him who feel themselves under the vail death to those that rest and have their life in the vail There 's everlasting destruction from his presence and from the glory of his power We are a sweet Savour of Christ to God in those that perish To some we are a savour of life to others a savour of death That is the Ministry of the Spirit It follows in Verse 8. He will swallow up death in victory Observ 1. Destroy the vail and destroy death The taking away of the vail is the taking away of Death Death is dead Death upon a true account is nothing but a vail upon God who is our true life We live because he lives You heard before what this is even all this Creation in its purity and perfection but much more a vail a thicker and darker vail when sin and death and devil are gotten into it The Scripture expression is elsewhere The vail of the shadow of death Darkness and Death Light and Life are the same even Christs flesh was a vail Ordinances are vails No disparagement to Ordinances If God appear in them t is well Mans ministry is a vail if we see God in it it is but darkly If we be refreshed it is but in part This life and body is a vail while we are at home in it till it be changed and made spiritual till we be cloathed upon with our true life which is from heaven The Apostle saith While we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord While we are absent from the Lord we are absent from our life for our life is to be with him We are not perfectly quickned perfectly alive till we be cloathed upon with our life which is from Heaven Therefore take notice that the pulling down of this body is not properly death to the Saints but the destroying of death He will destroy the vail and swallow up death in victory So then that which we call life is not so indeed but death This body this present appearance is but the face of the covering and the rending of it is the swallowing up of death Let us mend our account if we can We have judged things by the outward appearance by the face of the covering by the vail now let us judge righteous judgement The flesh judgeth that to be life which the Spirit knows to be death Our friend is not dead but gone out of death into life Those that know not God but have all their life in the flesh in present appearances they live not indeed They that live in pleasure are dead whilst they live If God be our life then the less we are in these things the more we are in life If our life be in the vail when this vail is destroyed our life is swallowed up of deaths victory and the second death seizeth on us Refer this to the feast that the Lord makes it is himself that is the feast it is himself that makes the feast he dyes into our weakness and when through his death his life is manifested in us in a spirit of Love of power and of a sound minde then death is swallowed up in victory It goes into the draught we hear of it no more The Lords life manifested swallows up death in victory Death is sorrow and tears See if you can imbrace this account of death He that hath ears to hear let him hear He that hath not it may be will cry whimsey fancy and turning the Scripture into an Allegory Further it s said And the Rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth All the Saints Rebuke is whilst they are under the vail They are judged by the vail the world knows them not We live in the vail whilst we are in sorrow and tears whilst God who is our life is hid we are under the worlds Rebuke In the mean time we wait till God appear and whilst God appears not the world jears us saying Flee to your mountain Psal 11. 1. All the worlds joy is in the vail when the vail is rent then comes the second death then that is made good Son remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things and Lazarus his evil but now thou art tormented and he is comforted And now have I walked in a vail and in a cloud unto you Do you not understand The time was when my self did not and it may be my weakness in expressing as well as yours in hearing It is my weakness that cannot put the vail from off your eyes Consider what hath been spoken that you may understand it rightly If it please God to bring it home as a seed sown to any of you I shall rejoyce I leave it to the blessing of God FINIS Isa 50. 1. Isa 2. 2.
in the Spirit That which is earthly and carnal must be shaken and removed that that Kingdom which cannot be moved may remain We wonder what God meaneth when he is pulling down and destroying Why he meaneth to plant and to build and when we see his design we sit down and are still It is a sad thing to a childe to hear that the time shall come when all his Rattles shall be taken from him What a sad thing is it while we are childish Christians to have our Religion as it is of man shaken It hath a great excellency and glory in it but it is to be shaken that that which is excellent indeed may come in its place To know the state of Christ risen from the dead was that which Paul was making after The Resurrection of the dead Before we can come to this the Cross of Christ must crucifie all the glory of flesh And that is to be taken notice of That the last shaking shall be the most terrible shaking God will shake all nations no nation shall escape nor man in it shake them in their earth shake them in their heaven God need to shake but once and shake all to pieces certainly he will shake once more and we may think after this shaking to settle again but all that is shaken shall be done away that which is natural shall be done away that that which is spiritual may take place Are we sensible of these shakings it is only the spiritual man that is sensible of it the carnal and natural man eats and drinks till the flood comes and sweeps all away The Apostle expounds those words Yet once more And this word yet once more signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken as of things that are made All fleshly forms of Religion all mans Righteousness all this outward frame of things are things that are made and therefore must be done away that those things which cannot be shaken may remain T is true the spiritual man is made but as he is taken into God and in union with God he is not made the new creature is not made T is one thing to make another thing to create It s said the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us that is the Word was for a while vailed or covered with flesh he took flesh upon him Forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and blood he also himself likewise took part of the same Heb. 2. 14. but the spiritual man in union with God is taken into God and carried into Mount Sion The Apostles inference or conclusion is Wherefore we receiving a Kingdom that cannot be moved Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear When we come to the Kingdom to that Kingdom that is spiritual Let us have grace We are come to grace let us make use of it to serve God with reverence and godly fear Here is freewil the right freewil freewil in Christ and in the Spirit This new man sits at the fountain and draws water out of the wells of Salvation this new man hath freedom to work out his salvation he hath grace to serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear Do ye see what the Kingdom is that cannot be moved Why it is to serve God Here is the Kingdom a natural free complying with God When we shall have the minde of Christ it shall be our joy and delight to serve God and this service shall be with reverence and godly fear The nearer we come to God the more awe the more fear but it is a fear with love and joy with reverence and godly fear For our God is a consuming fire The Saints do glorifie God in the fire in the flames which consumes all flesh God is a consuming fire that consumes death and hell to the new man that is one with him that knows him and therefore rejoyceth in those flames glorifies him in the fire and when his bones are burnt then he walks with the son of God as the three young men in the fiery furnace We are saved yet so as by fire God is dealing with the people that are his burning up their hay and stubble their dross and tin and changing them into his image daily And if our God be a consuming fire then here is safety in God there need no carnal weapons to keep those safe that dwell in God For our God is a consuming fire This Scripture that hath been opened to you is a Glass that God holds out to us and sets before us Let us look there and see our faces and the Lord set upon our hearts those discoveries that he makes of himself to us that he makes of himself in us that so they may abide that we may not go away and forget what manner of faces we have That being doers of the Law as well as hearers of it that the Law being written in our hearts and we dwelling in God and God in us may be changed into the same image from Glory to Glory even as by the spirit of the Lord. The Mother of Mischief or the Original of all VVars and Fightings JAMES 4. 1 2 3 4 c. From whence come wars and fightings among you come they not hence even of your lusts that war in your members Ye lust and have not ye kill and desire to have and cannot obtain ye fight and war yet ye have not because ye ask not Ye ask and receive not because ye ask amiss that ye may consume it upon your lusts Ye Adulterers and Adulteresses know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God c. THis Epistle is written to the scattered Jews which had scattered their Religion There is a carnal profession of Religion which after a while is scattered and comes to nothing James in this Epistle shews what lusts and evils did lift up their heads and bear sway among this scattered people who notwithstanding that they were under great pressures yet did not amend nor take up as to those evil courses But scattered and afflicted they were therefore James begins to instruct them as touching Afflictions and Temptations My brethren count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations in the second Verse of the first Chapter then he comes to discover and reason against many evils which were found amongst them as you may see if you shall peruse the Epistle from the beginning unto this fourth Chapter here he tels them of their brawlings and quarrellings their contentions and fightings one with another The Jews were in Affliction and James he is discovering their sin contention and brawling that is one he mentions here and he is turning their eyes to look into the spring of this From whence comes wars Ver. 1. Here 's wars and fightings brawlings and quarrellings from whence comes these he shews them whence